Pediatric Cancer Information Book

By: Kate Carfagnini

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Table of Contents
Introduction: What is pediatric cancer?
Chapter 2: What Types of pediatric cancer?
Chapter 3: What Kind of Treatments are used for
pediatric cancer?
Chapter 4: What are the Effects of the Treatments
and the cancer?
Chapter 5: Ways you can Fundraise?
Chapter 6: Glossary/ Resources

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Introduction:
Pediatric cancer is a cancer that occurs in
children ages 0-14. According to National Cancer
Institute, cancer is the leading cause of death in
children. In 2014, it is estimated that 15,780
children will be diagnosed with cancer and 1,960
will die of the disease in the United States. This
is important because more people need to be aware
of pediatric cancer and the need for change.
Sadly pediatric cancer is a very bad sickness that
children can get and it can be very difficult to
get rid of. Cancer can be very dangerous because
cancer can cause death and very bad sickness--like
the side effects from treatment.

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Chapter 2: What Types of Pediatric Cancer?

There are many types of pediatric cancer. The most
common cancers that occur in children are: leukemia
(12%), neuroblastoma and other brain tumors (23%)
and lymphoma (12%). These cancers are very common.
Also these cancers can be very painful. The number
of deaths from leukemia was highest in children
10-14. The three most common forms of cancer add up
to 70% of all cases of pediatric cancer.
Leukemia is very dangerous because the cancer is
formed in the patient's blood cells and everybody
needs healthy blood to function to a regular

basis. If your blood isn't giving the regular flow

or enough blood to your heart will eventually give
up. That is why Leukemia is dangerous.
Neuroblastoma is a malignant tumor of immature
nerve cells that usually starts in the autonomic
nervous system or adrenal gland and spreads
quickly, most often affecting young children.
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Neuroblastoma is located on the top of the kidneys.

You need your adrenal glands help your body
function properly. If the gland is malfunctioning
several serious issues may occur. This is why
Neuroblastoma is very serious.
Lymphoma is another serious cancer. Lymphoma is a
tumor arising from any of the cellular elements of
lymph nodes. Lymphomas are cancers that develop in
the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune
system. This disease is the third most common form
of cancer among children. About 2,200 people under
the age of 20 are diagnosed with lymphoma each year
in the United States, according to the National
Cancer Institute.
Many other cancers that you may know,aren't common
but still exist. The less common cancers are all at
a seven percent or lower occurrence-rhabdomyosarcoma, retinoblastoma and bone cancers.

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Chapter 3: What Treatments are used?

Treatments in cancer are very important. Some
treatments are called Chemotherapy, surgery and
radiation therapy. Now I am going to discuss with
you about these treatments.

!
One treatment for pediatric cancer is chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is a type of chemical that is injected
into the specific place you have cancer. For
example, lets say that a person you knew had cancer
in your lungs. They would inject the chemotherapy
were the lungs are to get the chemicals into the
body part that has the cancer. In this case the
lungs. That is how chemotherapy works. Also
chemotherapy is one of the most common medical
curing systems doctors use.
Another type of treatment for pediatric cancer is
surgery. surgery is when a doctor, is working on
treating diseases (like pediatric cancer),
injuries, or operative procedures. People get
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cancer and have the option of having surgery to

remove the cancer or they can take chemotherapy.
Surgery is very helpful to help remove pediatric
cancer. For example lets say you had cancer in the
lower leg (calf,shin) if you wanted to have surgery
there you could cut off the place that has the
cancer, and you would replace your leg with a fake
leg.
Another way to help cure cancer or try to remove it
is, to have radiation therapy. This therapy is when
a big scanner,scans the part you have cancer in the
specific place this person may have the cancer.
Once the scanner has gotten to the spot where the
cancer is, the scanner turns into the lasers and
the lasers try to make the cancer leave the body by
burning them with the lasers. This is another way
to treat pediatric cancer. These are the ways that
treat pediatric cancer, chemotherapy,surgery and
radiation therapy.

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Chapter 4: What are effects of the treatment and

Pediatric Cancer?
Pediatric cancer is has many effects. The effects
can be hair loss, decrease lung volume and light
sensitivity. These are some of the many different
effects children that have pediatric cancer have.
The first common effect of cancer treatment in
children with pediatric cancer is hair loss. Hair
loss can be very stressful because, when you look
around most kids have hair because they are not on
chemotherapy. Chemotherapy causes people to lose
hair because of the chemical and the many times the
patient is using the chemotherapy. For example,lets
say that a person that has pediatric cancer uses
chemotherapy, after using it many times the
chemicals that are in the chemotherapy will cause
the hair lost.
Another type of effect is decreasing lung volume.
Decreasing lung volume is when, kids with pediatric
cancer can't breath at a normal pace or takes long
breaks in between breaths. For example, lets say
that a kid that was out of the hospital after a
long time. Then kid decided to play sports because
he was feeling so much better from beating the
cancer. So one day the kid was playing in a soccer
game and when the soccer game was done, he was out
of breath for a long time afterwards (5 hours).
That would be a sign of lung volume decreasing.
This also affects the amount of sports players in
the world,too. This is because so many kids don't
play sports and then there are kids that have
illnesses that can't play sports. That could also
lead to child obesity.

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Another way pediatric cancer is effective is light

sensitivity. Light sensitivity is a big deal
because light is everywhere. Ways you can notice
when kids have a sensitivity to light is when, kids
are turning and holding there heads with their
hands and wearing sun glasses. Light sensitivity is
caused by radiation treatment because too much
radiation can cause problems in any persons vision.
Another effect is sleepiness.They might become
sleepy because the patient might go into surgery
and have to fall asleep or energized,because they
might need to do therapy to get their muscles
working for a good workout.
But there also could be positive effects like
making progress and getting better since the
beginning and on the verge of beating cancer.
These are ways that treatments can cause and effect
kids with pediatric cancer.

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Chapter 5:Ways you can fundraise?

Fundraising is a important to pediatric cancer.
Most money (96%) raised for cancer currently goes
to adults or 96% of the money and very little goes
to kids fighting cancer 4% of the money. A funding
organization was a young girl who made a huge
difference in pediatric cancer funding is, Alexs
Lemonade stand. Alex Lemonade Stand raises money
for kids that have cancer. They raise close to 1
million dollars a year. Another great pediatric
fundraiser--that most people know--is Locks of
Love. This is funding operation where kids shave
their heads and are paid by sponsors. another
common way to support pediatric cancer is to donate
hair to children who need wigs.
Alex Lemonade stand started out with a girl named
Alex. It was shortly before her birthday her first
birthday, when Alex was diagnosed with
neuroblastoma (a cancer that is located in the
nerve system). On her first birthday Alex's doctors
had told her parents that she had beat the cancer
and it may come back. But that didn't stop Alex.
Alex was able to do everything a one year old could
do,kick, crawl and walk. Around the time her 4th
birthday was coming up Alex discovered that within
the upcoming year her tumors had grown back. In the
2000 the day after her 4th birthday, Alex received
a stem cell transplant and informed her mother
"...when I get out of the hospital I don't want to
have a lemonade stand."
And thats exactly what she did. A year later when
Alex got out of the hospital, Alex and her brother
built a lemonade stand and made $2000 for "her
hospital".
In 2004, Alex had passed away, at the age of eight.
When she was selling lemonade she made more than 1
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million dollars, with her lemonade stand. With that

lemonade stand money she gave the hospital 1
million dollars to defeat the cancer that took away
her life.
Another good fundraiser for pediatric cancer is
called locks of love. Locks of love is an
association that helps kids with cancer that are
losing their hair, will get there hair back. So
what the association does is every year at my
school (Skokie) we have boys and girls cut their
hair for kids that don't. A friend of mine last
year cut her hair, for the cause. She also had very
long hair so it helped the kids that didn't have
hair a lot. Also girls in my grade did it. This
helps kids that don't have hair. Just so they can
make themselves
feel normal and
not have to
worry about being
bald if they
care. I also
watched a video
about how these 2
sisters. One
sister (Natalie)
the other sister
(Hannah). Hannah
has felt bad for
what Natalie has
gone threw and
all the
treatments. Also
the fact that her
hair was falling
out. So one day
when Natalie was
in the hospital
she told her mom
that she wanted
to shave her head for her sister. When I heard her
say that I got shivers on my back. I thought that
she was doing the best thing in the world to help
her sister. Now to this day Natalie has a shaved
head and she has helped many kids with cancer. This
is why locks of love helps kids that want hair.

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Glossary and Resources

Chapter 6:
Blood Cells:
The fluid that circulates in the principal vascular
system of human beings and other vertebrates, in
humans consisting of plasma in which the red blood
cells, white blood cells, and platelets are
suspended.
Bladder:
a membranous sac or organ serving as a receptacle
for a fluid or air.
Bones:
One of the structures composing the skeleton of a
vertebrate.
Chemotherapy:
The treatment of disease by means of chemicals that
have a specific toxic effect upon the diseaseproducing microorganisms or that selectively
destroy cancerous tissue.
Effect(s):
Something that is produced by an agency or cause;
result; consequence:
Fundraising:
The act or process of raising funds, as for
nonprofit organizations or for a political cause.
Leukemia:
Any of several cancers of the bone marrow that
prevent the normal manufacture of red and white
blood cells and platelets, resulting in anemia,
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increased susceptibility to infection, and impaired

blood clotting.
Lymphoma:
A tumor arising from any of the cellular elements
of lymph nodes.
Neuroblastoma:
A malignant tumor of immature nerve cells that
usually starts in the autonomic nervous system or
adrenal gland and spreads quickly, most often
affecting young children.
Radiation therapy:
The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or
as moving subatomic particles, especially highenergy particles that cause ionization.
Retinoblastoma:
An inheritable tumor of the eye.
Rhabdomyosarcoma:
A malignant tumor made up of striated muscle
tissue.
Surgery:
The art, practice, or work of treating diseases,
injuries, or deformities by manual or operative
procedures.
Transplant:
Surgery to transfer (an organ, tissue, etc.) from
one part of the body to another or from one person
or animal to another.

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Resources:
Recourse 1:
http://dictionary.reference.com
Resource 2:
http://www.cancer.org/treatment/
treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/
chemotherapy/
understandingchemotherapyaguideforpatientsandfamili
es/understanding-chemotherapy-common-side-effectshair-loss
Recourse 3:
http://www.today.com/video/today/56148480#56148480
Resource 4:
http://www.alexslemonade.org/about/meet-alex
Resource 5:
http://video.suntimes.com/Skokie-School-StBaldricks-Fundraiser-26158697
Resource 6:
http://www.kidsvcancer.org/thecreatinghopeact/
overview/
Resource 7:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/SitesTypes/childhood
Resource 8:
http://www.mskcc.org/pediatrics/childhood/
pediatric-lymphomas/about-pediatric-lymphomas

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