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[ Kids and Cancer ] [ Camp Q. Events ]
Kids and Cancer
Here are some
basic and simple FAQ's about kids and cancer -- for kids and their
parents.
What is cancer?
Cancer is a general term. It refers to a group of diseases that can arise in any
part of the body when cells in that part become abnormal in their growth and
behavior.
The cells in the human
body are constantly reproducing and replacing themselves. When cancer cells
develop, they fight with and often destroy the normal, healthy cells. A common
characteristic of cancer cells is that they grow and spread to other parts of
the body. Once cancer cells begin to accumulate, they sometimes form tumors.
When cancer spreads to the other parts of the body it is called metastasis.
How many children get
cancer?
The American Cancer Society estimates that 10,000 children will be diagnosed
with cancer during this year alone.
Why do children get
cancer?
The cause of childhood cancer is still largely unknown. It is not limited by
age, race, or gender. Environmental influences have often been suspected, but
have yet to be proven as a cause. Apart from some rare forms, most childhood
cancers are not hereditary.
How is cancer treated
in children?
Childhood cancers can be treated with chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs),
radiation, surgery or a combination of the above. Chemotherapy uses
powerful medicine to fight the cancer by killing the bad cells before they
multiply. This can be a challenge because cancer cells divide and multiply very
rapidly. Radiation uses X-rays to attack a specific area of cancer cells. The
type of treatment used depends on the type of cancer a child has.
The goal of treatment is
to put the cancer into remission. Remission is when cancer cells are
either forced into hiding or killed permanently-hopefully the latter. If bad
cells are just hiding, the cancer may relapse, or come back. Treatment
will then begin again.
Aggressive treatment has
proven to be very successful in the majority of cases among children. Recent
studies show that two-thirds of children with cancer will not have a
reoccurrence . . . the results continue to improve!
Why do some children
with cancer lose their hair?
Chemotherapy attacks all cells that divide rapidly. Hair cells divide rapidly
like cancer cells. That's why hair grows! A loss of hair is a positive sign that
the chemo is doing its job correctly.
What are some types of
cancer that children get?
There are many different types of cancer. Each is named for which part of the
body it first originated. Cancer first found in the lung, is called lung cancer,
skin cancer is found on the skin, and so forth. But, there are exceptions.
Cancer found in the white blood cells is not called blood cancer, but
Leukemia.
Leukemia and brain tumors
are the most common types of childhood cancer. Lesser common cancers are
Sarcomas -- tumors in the soft tissue or in the bone, Lymphomas and
Hodgkin's Disease -- cancers found in lymph nodes, and Wilm's tumor
-- kidney cancer.
Is there a cure for
cancer?
Not yet, but thousands of scientists and researchers around the world are
looking for one. Camp Quality holds hope that continued child-specific cancer
research will lead to earlier detection, more effective treatments, and
increased survival rates.
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