Symptoms of blood cancer in children

There is a lot of confusion in the public mind about cancer. There is a deep thought that people will die after getting cancer, and treatment will have a lot of financial burdens. Even some people do not even go for treatment. There is a lack of public awareness about cancer in children, which is discussed in this article.

It is difficult to get accurate data about cancer in children in Nepal. Recently, it seems that the rate of going to the hospital and adopting the treatment process due to blood cancer is increasing.

What is a blood cancer in children?

Cancer occurs when the number and shape of blood cells change. Two types of blood cancer are usually seen in children. One is leukemia and the other is lymphoma.

When to suspect blood cancer?

-If you have a fever for a long time

- Joint swelling, pain

-If the stomach is swollen or tender

-If the liver is swollen

- If the child suddenly becomes thin

-If there are lumps in different parts of the body ie neck, armpit, or other parts

- Bleeding from gums or nose without injury

-In case of anemia

- In case of excessive bleeding in menstruating girls

All these symptoms may not appear in the same child, even if one of the symptoms has been observed for a long time, you should go to the nearest health institution for consultation. Necessary tests should be done according to the doctor's or health worker's advice.

How does the laboratory diagnose?

1. Complete blood count

2. Peripheral blood test

By doing these two tests, in general, the number, form, and development process of white blood cells, hemoglobin, and red blood cells can be depicted. If some signs of blood cancer are found from these tests, the third stage test is performed. This includes bone marrow examination or biopsy. However, both are bone marrow testing procedures. But in the bone marrow test method, a sample of the liquid part of the bone marrow is taken, while in a biopsy, a sample of the solid, spongy part of the bone marrow has to be taken. This test confirms whether blood cancer is present or not.

In the fourth stage, the following tests are done to determine the type of cancer and which blood cells it is.

Flow Cytometry and Cytogenetics/Molecular Studies After testing the gene, it guides the patient on which treatment method to use. Even after going through the treatment process, the patient's blood should be tested continuously.

In the fifth stage, another test is done to see how many cancer cells are left after the treatment.

Where is the treatment for blood cancer?

If the treatment is started at the right time, a blood cancer in children can be completely cured.

This is the main government hospital that treats blood cancer in children in Nepal.

Kanti Children's Hospital, Maharajganj

Service Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj,

Veer Hospital, Mahabuddha

Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Bhaktapur

BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Bharatpur

Civil Servants Hospital, New Baneshwar

Problems caused by cancer

Cancer patients may have various physical problems. Family and relatives are under mental stress due to physical disability. The availability of diagnostic methods is not universal and the 'referral chain' is not done properly and in time, the financial burden can be heavy on the families of children affected by cancer. Families of patients from outside Kathmandu come to and from Kathmandu for fear of the cost of transportation and the cost of staying in Kathmandu, the time and cost of diagnosis and treatment, so they do not seek treatment, i.e. come late for treatment.

Some parents may not be able to afford it. Generally speaking, families of children suffering from cancer must suffer from great financial, mental and social stress.

Various programs are organized at the international level for awareness.

- Every year September: Cancer awareness month is celebrated by various programs.

-February 15: World Cancer Day

-Psychosocial counseling programs for families of cancer patients

(The yellow ribbon is considered to be a sign of cancer in childhood. It means that children are very valuable. It means that the flexibility and self-strength of child cancer heroes should be appreciated.)

Child cancer policy and planning in Nepal

- Special programs and plans should be made in priority areas, focusing on data under the health management and information system, registration, and monitoring system.

- For simple access to early diagnosis and treatment methods for everyone and overall development, 'National Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program' should be introduced.

- Necessary policies and proper management should be made to make the services of laboratories more accessible and strong.

- Necessary policies and proper management should be in place to increase the access to medicines needed for cancer treatment.

- A national cancer prevention program based on results should be introduced.

- A national plan should be made for the development of radiotherapy.

- To ensure continuity of treatment, a referral system should be developed nationally.

The level of awareness about cancer is low among the Nepalese population. Raising awareness about cancer among the common people in countries where literacy is low is also a challenging task. The 'Targeted Health Education' program should be strengthened so that it works for every community. Only then can the death rate from cancer in children be reduced. Today's children are the leaders of tomorrow's country.