A heavyweight in the category of dangerous diseases, cancer
ranks high on the list. It is one of the major causes of death among adult, as
well as children, and across the globe. It is alarming how the disease is
growing and affecting more and more people every year. As per the National
Cancer Registry programme of the National Centre for Disease Informatics and
Research (ICMR), one out of eight men today has the possibility of developing
cancer in his lifetime (0-74 years). Similarly, one out of nine women has the
possibility to develop cancer in her lifetime (0-74 years). There are various
reasons as to what causes cancer, but one's lifestyle habits are attributed as
one of the major factors.While one may assume that cancer affects more and more
adults, health experts across the country are painting a different picture,
bringing to light that large numbers of children in India are diagnosed with
cancer. The shocking part is that most of the cases can be cured, but poor
diagnosis of common symptoms like pain in the joints, fever and headache are
worsening the situation, leading to death.
The Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) revealed statistics of
children suffering from cancer disease in Mumbai to mark International
Childhood Cancer Day on February 15th. As per the data, five per cent of
patients suffering from different types of cancer are below the age of 18
years. In India, every year, there are 45,000 new cases of cancer patients who
are under 18.
"The difference between cancer in adults and children
is that for the latter it is usually considered to be either controllable or
palliable. Most paediatric cancers are considered to be potentially
curable," said Dr S Banawali, Head, Medical Oncology. However, the problem
is that often, child patients do not know where to go for treatment and get
diagnosed wrongly.
Dr A Puri, Head, Bone and Soft Tissues, said, "Earlier,
children who suffered from cancer in the limbs had to be amputated, which
severely impacted them psychologically. Now with the help of developed
technology the limbs can be saved and only the infected part can be removed. In
80-90 per cent of the cases, we have been successful in saving the limbs."
There are different kinds of cancer, of which blood cancer
is considered to be a potent type as it spreads rapidly in children. Nearly 30%
of children with blood cancers require bone marrow transplant. "The cure
rate of cancers with bone marrow transplant is 50%. However, factors such as
high cost, unavailability of donors, often push patients away from the
procedure," said Dr Naveen Khattry, who heads Tata Memorial Centre's bone
transplant unit. In most rural areas, even doctors are unaware of the proper
treatment.
For solving this problem, doctors are now adopting online
platforms wherein experts can discuss special cancer cases and provide inputs
in real time.
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