Get HelpImagine your body literally turning on itself!
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Imagine a silent enemy attacking, robbing your of your strength, multiplying before you even sense the threat. The only treatment acts as a poison to kill the bad cells, and yes, good ones too leaving you and your immune system in a weakened state.
Now imagine you're a child. Or worse, it's your child. And at this, their weakest moment, when all their defenses are down and every day, every breath, every blink is a struggle, an infection that begins often as microscopic as a spore of fungus grows seemingly out of nowhere, leaving your child mutilated and in pain or worse, out of time.
Now imagine you're a child. Or worse, it's your child. And at this, their weakest moment, when all their defenses are down and every day, every breath, every blink is a struggle, an infection that begins often as microscopic as a spore of fungus grows seemingly out of nowhere, leaving your child mutilated and in pain or worse, out of time.
What is cancer?
Cells grow and divide to produce more cells only when the body needs them. This orderly process helps keep the body healthy. Sometimes, however, cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed. When these cells are abnormal and divide without control or order, they are considered cancerous. This uncontrolled growth damages the child's tissues and organs as the cancer grows. Left untreated, the cancer can ultimately kill the child.
What are the most common childhood cancers?
The most common form of childhood cancer is leukemia. Leukemia is cancer of the blood. Abnormal white blood cells grow uncontrollably crowding out healthy blood cells. Eventually, there are not enough healthy red and white blood cells to sustain the child.
Another common childhood cancer is a brain tumor. Brain tumors arise when the cancer cells form a tissue mass in the brain. As this mass increases in size, the nearby brain tissue is damaged leading to loss of brain function and potentially death.
Other common childhood cancers are childhood lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, Wilms' tumors, neuroblastomas, osteogenic sarcomas, Ewing's sarcomas, retino-blastomas, rhabdomyosarcomas and hepatoblastomas.
Another common childhood cancer is a brain tumor. Brain tumors arise when the cancer cells form a tissue mass in the brain. As this mass increases in size, the nearby brain tissue is damaged leading to loss of brain function and potentially death.
Other common childhood cancers are childhood lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, Wilms' tumors, neuroblastomas, osteogenic sarcomas, Ewing's sarcomas, retino-blastomas, rhabdomyosarcomas and hepatoblastomas.
Is Childhood Cancer different that Adult Cancer?
Children's cancers do not always act like, get treated like, or respond like adult cancers. Avoid reading about adult cancer to learn about your child's prognosis. Childhood cancers can occur suddenly, without early symptoms, and have a high rate of cure. You can find more details about these types of cancer on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) website at www.cancer.gov.
How are childhood cancers treated?
The way that cells multiply is by a process where a single cell divides into two cells. The problem with cancer cells is that the cells are abnormal and that they are dividing faster than normal cells. This is how the cancer takes over the healthy cells.
The most common approach to killing cancer cells is to interfere with their cell division process as the cell is very fragile during that time. Drugs (chemotherapy) and radiation (radiation therapy) are two standard approaches to killing cancer cells while they are dividing. However, chemotherapy and radiation therapy also affect healthy cells that are dividing as well. This is because these therapies cannot discriminate between cancerous and healthy cells. Since there are more cancer cells dividing than healthy cells, the hope is that all the cancer cells are killed before too many healthy cells are affected.
Since the therapies affect both cancerous and healthy cells, therapy is given until the child is no longer healthy enough to take on more. Common side effects include a poor immune system and low red blood cell counts. The child is taken off of therapy for a while to allow his or her body to recover. Once recovery is achieved, then the therapy is normally repeated a number of times as dictated by the protocol for the specific cancer.
The most common approach to killing cancer cells is to interfere with their cell division process as the cell is very fragile during that time. Drugs (chemotherapy) and radiation (radiation therapy) are two standard approaches to killing cancer cells while they are dividing. However, chemotherapy and radiation therapy also affect healthy cells that are dividing as well. This is because these therapies cannot discriminate between cancerous and healthy cells. Since there are more cancer cells dividing than healthy cells, the hope is that all the cancer cells are killed before too many healthy cells are affected.
Since the therapies affect both cancerous and healthy cells, therapy is given until the child is no longer healthy enough to take on more. Common side effects include a poor immune system and low red blood cell counts. The child is taken off of therapy for a while to allow his or her body to recover. Once recovery is achieved, then the therapy is normally repeated a number of times as dictated by the protocol for the specific cancer.
What are the Side-effects of treatment?
Unfortunately, there are several side effects to the treatment of childhood cancer. Here are the most common:
- Poor immune system - Chemotherapy also has the undesired side effect of suppressing a child's immune system. This condition is called neutropenia. White blood cells and other disease fighting cells in the blood are well below their normal values. This first line of defense to diseases is severely compromised. The child's body is susceptible to common and rare infections until his or her immune system recovers during a pause in chemotherapy. Severe damage and even death are caused by infections as they run unabated in child's body.
- Low red blood count - Chemotherapy also has the undesired side effect of lowering the red blood cell count in the child's blood. This can lead to poor delivery of oxygen to healthy cells in the body. This is normally alleviated by providing the child with red blood cells intravenously (called a transfusion).
- Hair loss - A child undergoing cancer treatment will usually lose all of their hair. This is because hair cells are some of the fastest dividing cells in your body and are therefore affected more by the therapies. This side effect is called alopecia. Although this side effect is more cosmetic than anything else, it leads to low self-esteem and embarrassment for the child.
What type of infections can occur?
Infections occur when an organism from the outside invades the body and uses the body to make more of itself. The three types of organisms are bacteria, viruses and fungi. The body normally does a fantastic job of fighting off these organisms using its immune system. However, cancer treatment compromises the immune system leaving the body defenseless.
How are infections treated in children with poor immune systems?
Bacterial
Antibiotics can be used in the treatment of bacteria. The challenge here is to properly identify the bacteria, if possible, so the proper antibiotic can be applied. Not all antibiotics work on all bacteria. There are also strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Without the help of the body's immune system, these bacterial infections can destroy tissue and organs. Bacterial infections are the leading cause of death in children with cancer.
Viral
Viral infections are very difficult to treat, even in healthy people. Viruses are like little machines that invade cells and make many more of themselves. Because of their simple structure, modern medicine has been unable to find effective cures for these types of infections after they have occurred. Vaccinations are the most common way to prevent viral infections, such as the flu shot. There are a few anti-viral drugs available (such as Tamiflu) that are used with cancer patients if they contract a viral infection.
Fungal
Fungal infections have been rare in humans but have been occurring in greater numbers due to the use of immunosuppressive treatments of cancer and other diseases (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis). Fungi are a very primitive life form that is somewhat plant-like. Spores from fungi are floating all around us. When we inhale the spores, our immune system does a fantastic job of clearing them out of our body. Children with compromised immune systems can miss these spores allowing them to start growing in the body. As the fungus grows, it consumes tissues around it and causes great damage. Fungal infections are very difficult for the body to eradicate as the size of the fungus is gigantic compared to a white blood cell. Compare it to you trying to pull down a tree. Anti-fungal drugs are effective in breaking up the fungus into smaller pieces that then the body's immune system can consume.
Antibiotics can be used in the treatment of bacteria. The challenge here is to properly identify the bacteria, if possible, so the proper antibiotic can be applied. Not all antibiotics work on all bacteria. There are also strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Without the help of the body's immune system, these bacterial infections can destroy tissue and organs. Bacterial infections are the leading cause of death in children with cancer.
Viral
Viral infections are very difficult to treat, even in healthy people. Viruses are like little machines that invade cells and make many more of themselves. Because of their simple structure, modern medicine has been unable to find effective cures for these types of infections after they have occurred. Vaccinations are the most common way to prevent viral infections, such as the flu shot. There are a few anti-viral drugs available (such as Tamiflu) that are used with cancer patients if they contract a viral infection.
Fungal
Fungal infections have been rare in humans but have been occurring in greater numbers due to the use of immunosuppressive treatments of cancer and other diseases (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis). Fungi are a very primitive life form that is somewhat plant-like. Spores from fungi are floating all around us. When we inhale the spores, our immune system does a fantastic job of clearing them out of our body. Children with compromised immune systems can miss these spores allowing them to start growing in the body. As the fungus grows, it consumes tissues around it and causes great damage. Fungal infections are very difficult for the body to eradicate as the size of the fungus is gigantic compared to a white blood cell. Compare it to you trying to pull down a tree. Anti-fungal drugs are effective in breaking up the fungus into smaller pieces that then the body's immune system can consume.