9-12-06

Childhood Cancer

A diagnosis of childhood cancer is far from being a death sentence. Because of improved treatment methods, today most young patients survive and lead normal lives.

About 12, 000 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S. Childhood cancer is different than cancer in adults, says Dr. Daniel Niebrugge, (Knee-brew’-gee) assistant professor of pediatrics at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. He describes some types of childhood cancer.

SOUND BITE: "Accute lymphocytic leukemia is mostly in the young children. Neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor and retinoblastoma tumors we see almost always under five years of age. On the other hand, we look at Hodgkin lymphoma - it’s in the older group. Brain tumors can occur in all different ages . . ."

Dr. Niebrugge, who is also on the medical staff of St. John’s Children’s Hospital, says the causes and risk factors of childhood cancer are not known. The disease is not inherited and cannot be passed from child to child in school. Treatments for the disease include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. Niebrugge explains the improved survival rates.

SOUND BITE: "At the present time in early stages, even though this is a cancer, we have 95 percent plus long-term survival. With acute lymphastic leukemia, we have the type of leukemia we often see in pediatrics, the survival is now approaching 90 percent. For most tumors in pediatrics we now are seeing cures and the survival rate is probably on the order of 75 percent . . ."

Dr. Niebrugge says today most children with cancer can have a normal life – go to school and participate in childhood activities. Any child displaying symptoms of unusual bleeding or bruising should be seen by their pediatrician or primary care physician, who may refer them to a pediatric oncologist for further evaluation and possible treatment.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.