Good Lifestyle

For the pediatric oncologist Colin Moore, MD, the month of childhood cancer awareness of September has a double resonance. Today, it treats children with cancer, especially blood cancer. Twenty-two years ago, he was a patient cancer of childhood himself.

As a student of the Med School, Moore initially wanted to stay away from oncology. But when he observed the department of pediatric cancer, "I saw a little of myself in each of the patients," said Moore, 38 years old, who practices Johns Hopkins all children's hospitals in Saint- Petersburg, Florida. "And even more importantly, I have seen a lot of my parents in all the parents I talked about."

Childhood cancer is rare: in the United States, just under 16,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. But every parent is worried about that and wants to know which symptoms to watch.

Make these recommendations is delicate. First of all, because - and this repeated childhood cancer is rare. Secondly, cancer symptoms are generally vague: an ills of evil evil ailment ills of mass evils is probably not cancerous.

At the age of 16, Moore noticed a swelling of his leg and started having migraines. After experiencing the double vision, he "finally broke" and asked his parents to take him to the doctor. After three months of exams and tests, doctors have connected the points between his symptoms and the sarcoma of the diagnosed ewing, a cancer of the soft tissue that born in his leg and extended to his brain.

Surgery, radiation, high-dose chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant followed. Today, Moore is without cancer. He says the key to catching early childhood cancer must be aware of the lingering symptoms, or a constellation of physical signs, as if he had; They could mean a bigger problem.

But he points out that both cancers are exactly the same.

"One of the most difficult things with childhood cancer is that most of the cancers we see do not just have a symptom that appears to someone," says Moore. "Most symptoms imitate other diseases. The most important thing we teach is that current things are common. If you have a fever, it's probably a cold. But when the symptoms do not go or not Having a simple answer, it's time to give a call to the pediatrician and ask, "Is it normal"? "

These are some of the most common signs of childhood cancer. (Although the list is not complete. The golden rule is, when something does not seem right, ask your pediatrician.)

Unexplained weight loss

"The main thing we see is an unexpected weight loss," says Moore. "Especially in teenager, you have a little less monitoring of what your children do and how they grow up, you go less to the pediatric office." A common early sign in adult cancer as well as children, unexplained weight loss occurs because cancer cells can divert body metabolism, suitable calories for their growth at the expense of muscle and bone.

Do not gain weight or delayed crawl

Because childhood cancer can have nonspecific symptoms and develop rapidly, it is particularly important to keep the appointment of each recommended pediatrician, explainsAlex Ota, an executive of public relations in San Clemente, California. Ten years ago, his infant daughter was diagnosed in neuroblastoma, the most common infant cancer, at his nine-month record. "She ate voraciously but had only 3 ounces," says Ota, who had noticed that his daughter hated "Tummy Time". "It was a red flag at the doctor. She had not started crawling again. When the doctor palpated his stomach - something my pediatrician always does controls, and I know now why - he felt the tumor clearly . "

"She ate with voracity but only had 3 ounces."

After a surgical procedure to eliminate a great mass, the recurrence and a second operation, the OTA daughter is a good health of ten years today. "My pediatrician continued to emphasize how important the 9-month audit," says Ota. "Many parents jump because their baby has been checked at 6 months. If we would have jumped that, we may not have the result we did - today's healthy girl."

Change in a taupe or a freckle spot

Melanoma, the most murderous form of skin cancer, is considered an adult disease - the consequence of too many hours and seasons in the sun. But it is also the second most frequently diagnosed cancer among adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 29, saysKeira Barr, MD, a dermatologist based at Gig Harbor, Washington.

Be aware of any changes in moles, freckles or spots on your child's skin. Learn how to do the same thing. A mnemonic could help: "Look for the ugly duckling," said Barr, who diagnosed his own melanoma seven years ago. "Learning to know your skin and looking for the typical model that your beauty grains and freckles follow is key point. To which stands out from the crowd is the ugly duckling and the evaluation of the warrants by your dermatologist. »

Barr also recommends "following the ABCDE:"

• A = asymmetry. "If the stain is asymmetrical, looking at its surface is uneven, to check," says Barr. "As a general rule, freckles and moles are symmetrical circles or ovals. »
• B = border. "If the place has a sawtooth trim, poorly defined or irregular, the suspicion should be awake," says Barr.
• C = color. "If the spot has a variable color or several different colors, to check," says Barr. "Typically moles are uniformly pigmented throughout. »
• D = diameter. "If the place is larger than 4 to 6 millimeters in diameter - about the size of a pencil gum - it could be a cancer, but there is a wide range of variability, which is the lowest sign for A suspect place, "says Barr.
• E = EVOLVING. "If the task is more and more, changing or changing over time, have to check," says Barr. "As a general rule, the taupes, freckles and birth stains remain constant in their appearance over time. »

Chronic pain

"Parents have to talk to their children if anything is wrong, and that their children know how to say so if something is wrong," says-Ota. In the hospital where his daughter was treated, she met with a family of a teenager who was afraid to tell her parents of a constant pain in her groin. He was finally diagnosed as a testicular cancer; At the moment they sought a medical treatment, the disease was advanced.

"I remember his father crying as he told me that his son was too embarrassed to speak," said-Ota. "If your children tell you something does not feel well, do not brush off. Take an honest look at him. You do not want to be a doomsdayer, but you do not want to raise the shoulders signs far important. "

Unexplained persistent coughs and / or swollen adenopathies

"This is a common conclusion in children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," says Anthony Kouri, MD, orthopedic surgeon at the University of Toledo Medical Center. "The cough is due to a mass in the thoracic cavity. These children's lymph nodes can also swell lymphatic ganglia in the [Axillary] armpit and above the clavicle. All these symptoms must be red flags to a health professional. Should be biopsied, and a scanner or MRI may have to be carried out ".

Easy bruise or bleeding, or frequent nose bleeding

According toAmerican Cancer Society, Are the most leukemia the common childhood cancer, which represents one of the three diagnoses of infant cancer. Common signs include easily bruising, bruising, easeless bleeding, or frequent nose bleeding. They can result from a lack of platelets, the cells that cause blood coagulation that are often destroyed by leukemia.

Indolorated abdominal mass

"A unilateral painless abdominal mass is a common sign for a WILMS or Nephroblastoma tumor, a type of kidney cancer which is the most common intra-abdominal tumor in children," says Kouri. "These can grow very big before being noticed. Parents often notice the mass while lifting the child or give them a bath. »

Loss of appetite

Children would not be children without being picky eaters from time to time. But if your child has a loss of persistent appetite, it could be a sign of cancer in theRate, liver or lymph nodes, Which could be pushing on the stomach and make him or feel paushed faster. He deserves a visit to the pediatrician.

The pain not relieved by rest

"It's not abnormal for children to complain about some pain in the leg or knee while playing sports," says Kouri. "However, the pain not relieved by rest is a red flag. This can be an indication of a bone tumor like osteosarcoma. Other symptoms to be monitored include the pain that is worse at night, gearing, and a mass of soft tissues. If a child knows these symptoms, they must be presented to an orthopedic surgeon ".

Increase head size

"Infants and young children including fontanelles - or weak points - have not yet closed have no sign of a brain tumor, except that their head grows faster than expected," says Kouri. "It happens because the head dilates that the tumor grows. It is important to feel the fontanelles and for the doctor to measure your child's head until they are two. The child can express discomfort and fussiness with rolling of the head. If the child has these symptoms, a computed tomography (CT Scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) must be executed ".

Persistent fever

Fever is a sign of a natural body infection. Prolonged fever that does not appear to be related to a cold or flu could indicate a lack of white blood cells, combatants of the body's infection. Their number can be reduced in certain cancers, including leukemia.

Prolonged fatigue

Recurring fatigue can be a symptom of a number of childhood cancers. For example, in leukemia, blood cancer, fatigue often results from anemia, a shortage of red blood cells. If your child is lower than usual and can not seem to shake, talk to your pediatrician.

For Moore, he hopes Childhood Cancer Month of Awareness will sensitize not only symptoms, but the need to finance effective treatments and remedies. Child's cancer tends to be eclipsed (and therefore underfunded) by adult cancers. "Twenty-two years since I diagnosed, we have made incredible jumps in the treatment of certain cancers, such as leukemias and some solid tumors like neuroblastomas," he says. "But for cancer I had, the ewing sarcoma, the drugs I received in 1997 are the same medications we use for treatment if a child walked through my door today. »

"We need help," he says. "We need help on every single front to try to find a better cure. »