Cancer in children behaves differently than cancer in adults. When children are first diagnosed, they frequently have a more advanced stage of cancer. Eighty per cent of children with cancer show that it has spread to other parts of the body, compared with approximately 20% of adults. Generally, childhood cancers have no known causes and do not attack the same body parts as adult cancers.
Children require more specialized care and treatment than adults, so it is important to explore your options when seeking care for your child.
In general, it’s important to remember that the entire family is affected when a child develops cancer, and everyone in the family will have a special need for care and education. Because of these needs, it is highly recommended that you seek treatment from a cancer care centre that specializes in children with cancer. These may be found at major children’s hospitals, university medical centres and Comprehensive Cancer Centres. The facilities can provide the entire family with education and support from a team of child care specialists. Childhood cancers require more than just pediatric oncologists—nutritionists, social workers, child psychologists and others work together to care for your family. [More information will be inserted here.]
Lymphoma is often difficult to detect. There are some symptoms of Hodgkin’s lymphoma but they are not specific. A swollen lymph node, particularly in the upper body area, may indicate lymphoma. Or a child may complain about a lack of energy. More serious symptoms include fever, weight loss, night sweats, or unexplained itching. Lymphoma is often discovered without any noticeable symptoms during routine physical examinations.
To confirm diagnosis, a biopsy is taken so that a pathologist can examine the tissue for cancerous cells.
Other tests your child’s medical team may do include:
Certain medical centres may perform additional tests, including exploratory surgery to determine the extent of the disease or a lymphangiogram, a procedure during which a radio-opaque liquid is injected into the lymph system through the feet; the fluid travels throughout the lymph system and remains visible for up to six months by x-ray.
Children’s cancer cells tend to reproduce and grow more rapidly than most adult cancer cells. Therefore, even though the cancer appears to be contained to one tumour or swollen gland, the lymphoma has almost always spread beyond its origin. In order to kill all the lymphoma cells present throughout the body, a systemic treatment plan of chemotherapy is the preferred method. Fortunately, because their cells are multiplying so quickly and chemotherapy drugs target rapidly growing cells, children tend to respond better to chemotherapy than adults.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma in children can be described according to stages, as follows:
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back after it has been treated. It may come back in the area where it first started or in another part of the body.
Staging is also dependent on whether the patient has had a group of symptoms including night sweats, fever or weight loss. Patients who have had one or more of these are grade “B” while patients who have none are classed grade “A.”
Note: The LFC is not responsible for verifying the accuracy of all information that is contained on these sites.
Lymphoma Information Network: www.lymphomainfo.net/childhood/hodgkins.htmlUK Cancer Information: www.cancerbackup.org.uk/info/hodgkins.htmChildren’s Cancer Web (US): www.cancerindex.org/ccw/guide2h.htmCandlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation: www.candlelighters.caCamp Quality: www.campquality.comCamp Trillium: www.camptrillium.comKids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta: www.kidscancercare.ab.caCancer Kids.com: www.cancerkids.com/index.htmlKids Health for Parents (US): kidshealth.org/parent/medical/cancer/cancer.htmlNational Childhood Cancer Foundation US (NCCF): www.nccf.org/Cope with Cancer CD-ROM: www.digitalrain.com/cope/static/whatis.htm
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