The child is still so young, only 5 years old, how could they possibly get cancer? Could it be a misdiagnosis
Holding her daughter's excellent examination report, Ms. Wang was at a loss and extremely anxious. Half a month ago, Youyou was playing at home and accidentally fell. When Ms. Wang checked her daughter's body, she found a big lump on Youyou's leg. She thought she had just hit it, but Ms. Wang didn't pay much attention and just helped the child apply some medicinal wine.
Several days passed, and the lump on Youyou's leg did not improve. Ms. Wang took the child to the hospital for examination. After a series of tests, the child's report came out, and Youyou was diagnosed with "common type osteosarcoma of the distal right femur".
Faced with Ms. Wang's doubts, the doctor explained that the specific cause of osteosarcoma is not clear, but it often occurs in adolescents and children.
1, The development of cancer cells takes time, why do children also get cancer?
Data shows that in the past 30 years, the incidence rate of childhood tumors in China has increased at an annual rate of 2.8%, with 30000 to 40000 children diagnosed with tumors every year. In addition, there is still a certain gap in the 5-year survival rate of pediatric tumors in China compared to developed countries.
Fans who often watch Little Echo will know that cancer is essentially caused by gene mutation, which often takes years, decades or even decades to achieve. This is also the reason why the older you are, the higher the incidence rate of cancer. So, why do children also get cancer at a young age? The answer is undoubtedly related to innate factors.
Medical research has found that the risk of childhood tumors is influenced by congenital familial inheritance and genetic mutations during fetal development.
Among them, familial inheritance refers to diseases, oncogenes, and retinoblastoma (retinoblastoma) that increase sensitivity to oncogenic factors or risk of cancer. Genetic factors account for 10% of the impact on childhood tumor risk.
In addition, during fetal development, if the mother is exposed to adverse external stimuli such as electromagnetic radiation, ion exposure, viral infections, and exposure to harmful substances for a long time, it can also increase fetal genetic mutations and bring about the risk of cancer.
Regarding this, Wang Ying, Director of the Radiotherapy Department of Chongqing Cancer Hospital, reminds that solid tumors in children are mainly related to residual embryonic tissue during maternal and fetal development. Therefore, the first three months of pregnancy are crucial for mothers, and they should try to avoid getting sick as much as possible, not using antibiotics indiscriminately, and avoid exposure to electromagnetic radiation, radiation, and decoration pollution caused by toxic substances such as benzene and formaldehyde.
Of course, the causes of cancer are complex, and in addition to genetic factors, there are also various acquired factors that may induce childhood cancer.
Dietary effects: Foods such as pickled, puffed, and grilled foods themselves contain harmful substances to the human body. For example, excessive intake of nitrite is toxic and can also produce carcinogenic substances such as nitrosamines and benzopyrene. There are also high-fat, high calorie, and high sugar foods. If children consume them in large quantities for a long time without exercise, it can lead to excess calories, increase the risk of obesity, and bring about the risk of cancer.
Obesity: Medical research has found that obesity in adolescence will increase the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, even if the risk of weight loss is still higher than that of ordinary people. In addition, obesity is also related to colorectal cancer, lymphatic cancer, kidney cancer, and other conditions.
Environmental stimuli: Environmental risks are mainly reflected in three aspects. The first is outdoor air pollution, such as smoke pollution such as oil smoke, second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke, automobile exhaust, industrial waste gas, road pollution (asphalt heat emitting gas), etc. Secondly, indoor pollution, such as harmful substances such as formaldehyde, benzene, and radon, is mainly caused by decoration, which is also the main cause of childhood leukemia. Finally, there may be pollution from children's toys. Some low-quality toys may add heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, and the harm of heavy metals to children and adults should not be underestimated. Mild cases can lead to poisoning, and in severe cases, it may increase the risk of cancer and even pose a life-threatening risk.
Virus infection: For children, the viruses that will bring cancer risk include hepatitis B virus, EB virus, human T-cell lymphophilic virus, etc. Among them, hepatitis B virus can cause liver cancer, EB virus can cause Burkitt's lymphoma, and human T-cell lymphophilic virus can cause leukemia or malignant lymphoma.
2, If a child has 6 types of abnormalities, parents should take them seriously in a timely manner
Children are the center of gravity of a family, and many people consciously take comprehensive care of their children, but often overlook the most important signs of illness. Children can also develop cancer, and the tumor growth site may be in various systems throughout the body, and the progression of the disease is extremely fast, taking as little as 3 months to go through stages 1-4. In addition to rapid progression, there are also high malignancy, early metastasis, and poor prognosis.
Regarding this, Dr. Shen Yang from the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine reminds parents to pay more attention to six aspects of physical examination in their children's daily monitoring:
1. Check if the child has lumps, mainly examining the neck, submandibular region, groin, armpit, etc;
2. Is there an inexplicable fever? If it persists for about a week, antiviral and antibiotic drugs may not be effective, so it must be taken seriously;
3. Whether the complexion is poor or the complexion is poor, and whether there are bruises on the skin, and whether there is bleeding in the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity, gums, and other areas;
4. Unexplained weight loss, short-term weight loss, stunted growth and development, and loss of appetite must be taken seriously;
5. Unexplained pain, such as joint soreness, abdominal pain, headache, etc. Some children with cancer may also experience unstable walking, vomiting, epilepsy, transient eye blackness, etc;
6. Check for visual impairment, exophthalmos, strabismus, and other symptoms.
In addition, it is recommended that children undergo regular physical examinations, check their blood routine, and monitor changes in their blood count during their growth process.
3, 70% of pediatric tumors can be cured through standardized diagnosis and treatment
There are many differences between childhood cancer and adult cancer, which seems to be more dangerous than adult cancer. However, if treated promptly, the treatment effect is still guaranteed.
Chen Jing from the Cancer Radiotherapy Center of Chongqing University Affiliated Cancer Hospital stated that if children are diagnosed with cancer and receive standardized diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner, the cure rate can reach up to 70% through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. On the one hand, most childhood tumors are embryogenic tissues, which are more sensitive to chemotherapy and radiation therapy and have a more significant effect than adults. On the other hand, children have a simple mindset and often have a better mentality than adults. In addition, they are in the stage of growth and development, and their recovery speed is also faster.
However, experts also remind that children are not sensitive to their own feelings, have limited expression abilities, and cannot clearly express their own feelings. In addition, the general public lacks sufficient understanding of childhood tumors, and medical screening methods for children are limited. Early detection is difficult, so prevention is still more important than treatment.
To prevent childhood tumors, it is important to start early!
Firstly, during pregnancy, it is important to avoid contact with harmful substances, stay away from radiation, and reduce the risk factors for congenital cancer. Secondly, during the growth process of children, it is important to pay attention to their diet and daily habits, strive for balanced nutrition, go to bed and wake up early, rest well, ensure that their immune system is not compromised, and reduce the risk of cancer. Moderate exercise can help children maintain their body shape and avoid many problems caused by obesity.
In addition, it is important to stay away from pollution and not let children be exposed to air pollution for a long time; Daily utensils and toys should also be made with environmentally friendly materials.
Summary: In the past, when people mentioned cancer, the first thing they thought of was adults, and few people associated tumors with children. In fact, this is a misconception. The risk of cancer in children is also high, so it is important to pay attention to prevention in daily life. Parents should also pay attention to observing their children's body shape changes and various minor symptoms during their growth process. If there are related symptoms, they must seek medical attention in a timely manner and investigate the cause.
