International Childhood Cancer Day: Diagnosis, Prevention Of  Cancer In Kids

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The Logical Indian Crew

International Childhood Cancer Day: Diagnosis, Prevention Of Cancer In Kids

International Childhood Cancer Day is globally celebrated on February 15 to spread awareness around the kinds of childhood cancers, their diagnosis, and treatment.

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As per Globocan 2020 report, more than 20,000 new cases of childhood blood cancer are diagnosed every year in India, of which over 14,000 of those cases is leukaemia. About 50,000 childhood cancer cases are diagnosed in India, of which blood cancer accounts for over half of them, making blood cancer the most common type of cancer in children!

Blood Cancer can be referred to as the viciousness of the bone marrow, blood and lymph nodes that affect normal blood cell function or production. Leukaemia is the most common type of blood cancer that affects children and teens (0-19 years) and is one of the leading causes of death. The three types of leukaemia in children are the common type Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and in rare cases, chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).

International Childhood Cancer Day

International Childhood Cancer Day is globally celebrated on February 15 to spread awareness around the kinds of childhood cancers, their diagnosis, and treatment.

On an estimate, globally around 400,000 adolescents and children of 0-18 years develop cancer. Out of them, the most common types of childhood cancers include solid tumours, leukaemias, lymphomas, brain cancer, such as neuroblastoma, Wilms tumour and bone tumours.

Treating Childhood Blood Cancer

Misinformation and deficiency of awareness about blood cancer and its types are the biggest challenges observed today amongst the Indian population. Most individuals are still unaware that blood cancer can also be treated. A patient can receive a second chance at life with the help of a stem cell transplant, which is widely considered the most effective treatment option, as per experts.

Furthermore, the mainstay of treatment for Leukemia or childhood blood cancer is chemotherapy. However, in high-risk cases or in children who cannot be treated with chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant is their only chance at survival.

A blood stem cell transplant gives many children a new ray of hope, as in the case of Maheer, a 14-year old boy from Ahmedabad who tested positive for blood cancer. After consulting a doctor, the family learned about the blood stem cell transplant treatment and how he could also survive this health condition by using the blood stem cells from an unrelated donor. He was also able to find his matching blood stem cell donor, Dr Sita, through DKMS, Sita hails from Germany. After the stem cell transplant, Maheer received his second chance at life and is leading a normal life today, just like any other kid of his current age.

Blood stem cells from a healthy matching donor are required for a stem cell transplant. Only about 30 per cent of the patients needing a blood stem cell transplant can find a sibling match, and the rest 70 per cent depend on finding an unrelated matching donor. When blood stem cells are collected from a donor, they are infused into the patient through a transplant process which then moves through the bloodstream and settles in the bone marrow. These new blood stem cells begin to increase in numbers and produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, resulting in replacing the patient's diseased cells.

With over 1.3 billion population and rising incidences of blood cancer and other blood disorders like thalassemia and aplastic anaemia, it increases the need for more people of Indian ethnicity to register as potential blood stem cell donors to help save a life.

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Writer : Snehadri Sarkar
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Editor : Shiva Chaudhary
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Creatives : Snehadri Sarkar

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