”15 February ans World Childhood Cancer“ Day
It is estimated that 175,000 childhood cancer worldwide is diagnosed annually. Many childhood cancer diagnosed at an early stage can be treated at high rates.
In our country, around 2,500 cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed annually. Childhood cancers account for 1.3% of all cancer cases and 1% of all cancer deaths. The incidence of childhood cancer in Turkey has similar rate in high-income countries (see table).
Cancers in children; Type, treatment response and survival in terms of adult cancers vary significantly:
- Childhood leukemia is the most common type of cancer in childhood. In both sexes, lymphomas and central nervous system tumors follow leukemias.
- With the development of multidisciplinary treatment approaches over the years, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and developments in surgery have increased the rate of life in childhood cancer in our country. Today, many cancers of childhood cancers can be diagnosed and these patients can be treated at international standards. As a result of the analysis of national data, the 5-year survival rate for all childhood cancers is around 70%. This result is 70-80% in developed countries. The goal is to catch 80%. To this end, efforts are being made to raise awareness of Childhood Cancer worldwide.
- The height of treatment success and the length of life expectancy of children; it makes early and effective treatment, access to the best service, quality of life and psychosocial approach more important.
- In addition, the cause-effect relationship of childhood cancers is not as clear as cancers in adults and there is no known screening program. Even so; early diagnosis and treatment success rates are even higher. Therefore; Anorexia, anemia, rapid weight loss, bone pain in the legs, bleeding under the skin (red spots or bruises), nose and gum bleeding, fever should be considered in the presence of symptoms and the nearest health care facility should be consulted.