Pediatric Cancer

By: Sarah Baillos

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Introduction

More than school class of children is diagnosed with cancer every daythat's more than
30 children! Even though many children diagnosed every day, pediatric cancer is not
well known. Scientists believe there is a cure for pediatric cancer, but many need to
donate to find that cure. If you want to learn more about pediatric cancer and help read
on.

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Types of pediatric cancer

In this chapter you will learn about different kinds of pediatric cancer. Including
most common, and most rare types of cancer in children.
There are many common cancers in children. Leukemia is blood cancer that can
be found in one of every three children with cancer. It is
most common in children and teens.
Another common kind of pediatric cancer is Tumors.
Tumors are an abnormal mass of new tissue growth that
serves no function in the body. Some Tumors are not
cancerous tumors, but most are.
The next cancer I want to talk about is Lymphoma.
Lymphoma is cancer in the bone marrow. It is
diagnosed in 7% of childhood cancers according to the
National Cancer Institute.
The final childhood cancer I would like you to know about is Neuroblastoma.
Neuroblastoma is a tumor in the abdomen. It is treated with surgery and sometimes
chemotherapy if the tumor has grown.
However there are also many cancers that are more rare. There are many that
and are less than 10% of the pediatric carver population for example germ cell cancer is
10% of the population and there are many more including: Kidney Tumors, Bone
Tumors, Liver Tumor, and many others. These cancers are usually not in the family
and very hard to get. Some are also very hard to diagnose.

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Different treatment
There are three different kinds of treatment for childhood cancer. Today you will
learn what they are: Chemotherapy, Surgery, and Radiation therapy.
One is chemotherapy. It is a high dose of drugs that kill cancer cells. It was
developed in 1940's and hasn't been changed much. It is also used for adults. It is
inserted into the body through a port, a special medical device that gives access to your
vaine, in the chest or a I.V.
Another Type of treatment is surgery. They use this to remove Tumors if they
have not spread too far from where it started. It can also be used to remove part of a

tumor if it is too big to remove the whole tumor. They can use
this method to find out what kind of tumor it is and it will respond better to chemotherapy
and radiation therapy.
The last kind of treatment they use on children is Radiation therapy. Radiation
therapy is the use of high energy X-Rays to kill cancer cells. Even though it treats
cancer it can also cause secondary cancers. This means that they could get cancer
again in life. This treatment can also kill healthy cells so it can be dangerous to the
person it is treating.

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Effects
There are many effects of cancer and its treatment. Some if those effects are
hearing loss, problems with eyesight (needing glasses or
becoming blind) and neurological problems. These
effects usually occur later, months to years later. These
later developing effects are usually caused by the
treatment itself.
While radiation therapy is more exact than
chemotherapy, it still can destroy healthy cells in the
process. Also it can hurt part of the brain if it is treating a
brain tumor. Even though it is one of more precise
treatments it still can hurt the patient in the process
In contrast, chemotherapy is given by I.V. or through an inserted port, and is not
easy to contain or pinpoint to just the cancer cells. This treatment can cause secondary
cancers and possible death from the drugs given. It is very hard to tell if youre going to
have late effects until they happen
The final treatment is surgery. Surgery can have side effects because the
surgery is done in the hopes that all of the cancerous cells will be removed and have not
spread to other parts of the body.

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Fundraising for kids vs. adults/How To Help

4% of research money goes to children. This is why the treatments they are given are
made for adults or where made in the 1980s. According to American Cancer Society
"Approximately 1 in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20." This
shows that even though it is common still many people in the world still dont know.

There are many ways you can help. Some are:

http://www.alexslemonade.org
http://www.acco.org (amazing website)
Their websites are user friendly and easy to navigate. There are many others on the
web if you Google how to help pediatric cancer.

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Conclusion

What are you waiting for, you can help by donating money and hair to children with
cancer so they can be cured and have their own hair. To donate hair go to http://
www.wigsforkids.org you will find a requirements page in the tab of make donations.
The hair has to be at least 12 inches long and can't be chemically treated. To donate
money: Google how to help pediatric cancer, then

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Glossary
Lymphomacancer in the bone marrow
Leukemiacancer in the blood
Neuroblastomaa tumor in the abdomen
Tumora bulge of cancer cells in the body

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Sources

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerinchildren/

https://acco.org/Information/AboutChildhoodCancer/TypesofChildhoodCancer/
rhabdoid.aspx
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/cancer/neuroblastoma.html#
http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/childhood-cancer/treatment-options
http://www.alexslemonade.org/

http://www.wigsforkids.org/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=128

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