Pediatric Cancer

By Paige Ross

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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Types of Pediatric Cancer

This is pie chart of

the Survival rate
of kids cancer

Chapter 2 Types of Treatment/Effects

Chapter 3 The Leading Hospitals
Chapter 4 The Founding
Chapter 5 Impressive Kids
Conclusion

Introduction
Imagine waking up in the morning feeling
nauseous, clumps of your hair are on your pillow,
you body aches in places you never knew existed
and there is no timeline for when you will feel
better. This is something children with cancer go
through all of the time. Before you start reading you
may want to know that there are a lot of kids that are
diagnosed with cancer everyday. There are people who
win their fight against cancer and there are some that
don't . There is not a cure to stop childhood cancer, but
if we all make it a priority we can make a difference. .

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Chapter 1 Types of pediatric Cancer

pediatric cancer is devastating to the child and the whole family. Some of the most
common forms of pediatric cancer are leukemia cancers, brain and nervous system
cancers, Wilms tumor, and Lymphoma. These cancers are debilitating to the children
who get them and become the family's only focus as they fight for their lives. Curing
cancer is something that we all should stand behind.

There are many types of pediatric. One of the most common cancers is Leukemia - a
cancer of the bone marrow and blood. Blood marrow is important because the
majority of red blood cells and most of the white blood cells are formed in the bone
marrow. These blood cells must be constantly replaced by the bone marrow because
each blood cell has a short life expectancy. The percentage of the kids that make it
through treatment who have Leukemia is not great.It is about 30% of all patients. The
most common types in children are Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and Acute
Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). These leukemias can cause bone and joint pain,
fatigue, weakness, pale skin, bleeding, bruising or a fever, as well as other symptoms.
Acute Leukemias can spread quickly, so they need to be treated within a short time
from being diagnosed. The typical treatment would be chemotherapy because the
cancer is widespread throughout the body and cannot be treated by surgery - where
they take tumor out - or radiation - where they treat the tumor with radiation.
Another common cancer in children is Neuroblastoma (brain tumor). There are
many different treatments and outlooks of the cancer your child might have. Most
brain tumors in children start in the lower parts of the brain (the lower parts of the
brain consist of the spinal cord, and the brain stem). This cancer causes headaches,
nausea, vomiting, blurred or double vision, dizziness, trouble walking or handling
objects, fever and pain. Adults are more likely to have it in the upper part of the brain
and spinal cord. Neuroblasto children starts in early stages of nerve cells development
in a developing embryo or fetus. About 6% of childhood cancers are Neuroblastoma.
This type of cancer occurs in infants and in young children. Its rarely found in
children over 10. They will use a CT scans (Computerized tomography which

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combines a series of X-ray views taken from many different angles) to look for
neuroblastoma in the abdomen, pelvis, and chest.
There is another type of cancer that is common in children, it is called Wilms tumor.
The Wilms tumor (also called nephroblastoma) usually starts in one kidney and
occasionally can start in both kidneys. Wilms Tumor is caused by kidney cells that do
not develop correctly. If a child is going to develop Wilms Tumor is is by the age of
three or four, if they have not developed Wilms Tumor by the age of four they most
likely will never develop it. Wilms Tumor presents as a swelling or lump on the
abdomen. Sometimes the child might have other symptoms like a fever and pain,
nausea or poor appetite. Wilms Tumor accounts for 5% of children who develop
cancer.

The last common type of childhood cancer is Lymphoma. These cancers start in
certain cells of the immune system called Lymphocytes. They most often grow in the
lymph nodes and the lymph tissue like the tonsil of thymus. Lymph nodes are
important because they filter out the bad cells like cancer. Lymphomas can also affect
bone marrow and other organs. It can also cause different symptoms depending
where the cancer is. Lymphomas can cause weight loss, fever sweats and tiredness
and lumps( swollen lymph nodes) under the skin in the armpits and groin.

These cancers are the most common in children of all ages. These cancers can be
cured however it is a long battle of treatment.

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Chapter 2 Types of Treatment and the Effects

There are three types of treatment that can stand alone or be done together
depending on the diagnosis. One of the treatments that patients get is chemotherapy
a chemical therapy . Chemotherapy has been used since the 1940s but it is
important to realize that chemotherapy has come a long way in recent years. Today
doctors have more medicines available to destroy cancer cells and new approaches
for combining treatments to make them more effective and less disruptive. The
experienced oncologists at Comer Childrens Hospital realize you may have a lot of
questions about chemotherapy. We can help you sort out the facts and recommend
the safest, most effective approach for your child's particular kind of cancer. We can
also offer new drug and combination treatments available to patients who feel they
may have run out of options. We also offer support programs to help you feel
comfortable with chemotherapy side effects while you are undergoing treatment.
Cancer patients come to us from across the country and around the world because we
are experts at designing the best possible treatment plan. However, sometimes they
choose to pursue all or some of their chemotherapy closer to home.

Another treatment to children for cancer is radiation what is radiation therapy?

Radiation therapy uses high energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells.
The radiation may be delivered by a machine outside the body. Does radiation kill
cancer cells? No, radiation therapy can also damage normal cells leading to side
effects. Doctors take potential damage normal cells into account when planning a
course of radiation therapy. The amount of radiation that normal tissue can safely
receive is known for all parts of the body. Doctors use this information to help them
decide where to aim radiation during treatment. How is radiation planned for an
individual patient? A radiation oncologist develops a patient's treatment plan through
a process called treatment planning which begins with simulation. During simulation,
detail imaging scans show the location of a patient's tumor and the normal areas
around it. These scans are usually computed tomography also known as a (CT) scans,
but they can also include Magnetic resonance imaging also known as a (MRI) and
ultrasounds scans. CT scans are often used in treatment planning for radiation
therapy. During CT scanning, pictures of the inside of the body are created by a
computer linked in an x-ray machine. During simulation and daily treatments, it is
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necessary to ensure that the patient will be in exactly the same position every day
relative to the machine delivering the treatment of doing imaging. Body molds, head
masks, or other devices may be constructed for an individual patient to make it easier
for a patient to stay still. Temporary skin marks and even tattoos are used to help
with precise patient positioning.

So when you hear that your child has cancer then you will start to feel more
comfortable when your child goes into treatment and that you won't be so worried.

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Chapter 3 Leading Hospitals

When you find out that your child has cancer you want to know where the best place
to get treatment for your child. I found the ten best hospitals for children.
The number one hospital for pediatric cancer is The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia developed therapy for relapsed
in cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The hospital is trying to figure out a way to
cure lymphoma and neuroblastoma with a single pill. It offered the first proton beam
of therapy exclusively to treat childhood cancers. It also concentrates on caring for for
the emotional needs of the cancer patients and their families,offering counseling,
parent and sibling support groups, and art music therapy.
The second best children's hospital and St. Jude research hospital. St. Jude
gives every patient a sophisticated genetic screening that allows doctors to tailor
treatment based on 225 genetic indicators. What's more, the hospital offers one of the
largest pediatric bone-marrow programs worldwide they have halo-identical or
partially matched transplants. St. Jude maintains high survival rates and provides
state-of-the-art care despite the fact that it doesnt charge families for any treatment(
The cost is offset by the hospital philanthropic support) When a child has to be
admitted overnight, the hospital even supplies free lodging to families who live more
than 35 miles away.
The cancer Drug discovery laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Medical center is
screening more than 340,000 potential medications against childhood and young
adult cancer cells to identify new options. The hospital is also creating molecular
profiles of tumor cells from patients in real time in order to guide therapy. While the
initial efforts will focus on relapsed leukemias, the program will expand to include
solid tumors.
The Boston Children's hospital it's one of a handful of hospitals in the Parents survey
offers "MIBG therapy" to treat patients with relapsed Neuroblastoma. The treatment
targets radiation kills tumors while sparing normal tissues. And to ease the transition
between hospital care, Boston children's has a team of nurses who make house calls
within two days of patient discharge.

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The Texas Children's hospital is ranked #5. Their the only center in the world
dedicated to specifically to the research, care, and treatment of children with
lymphoma, Texas Children's hospital will conduct research on the biology of this type
of cancer and use information to develop new approaches to therapy. The hospital
also recently opened a Childhood cancer prevention screening clinic, The first of its
kind in the country. The clinic will care for children who are at an increase risk for
developing childhood cancer because of genetic conditions.

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Chapter 4 Funding
Childrens Cancer Research Fund invests in lifesaving, leading-edge research in
prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of childhood cancers and blood related
disorders. Fueled by compassion since opening our doors in 1981, our team has
revolutionized the way childhood cancer is treated worldwide. Our investments in
key research initiatives and patient care have led to innovate treatments, fastercures,
new discoveries, and compassionate quality- of -life programs that give hope to
pediatric patients and their families. One person. One donation. One hour of
volunteer time. Your time and efforts can make a huge difference in the lives of
childhood cancer patients and their families. Cancer doesnt fight fair age, but
perhaps no cancers is more emotionally devastating than those that occur in children.
The fear and uncertainty these young patients and their families face can hardly be
measured, it is deeply committed to finding new answers that will benefit every child
with cancer and their family.
Wigs for kids is helping with funding by donating hair to children with cancer.
For over 30 years, Wigs for Kids has been providing Hair replacement systems and
support for children who lost their hair during Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy.
the effects of hair loss go deeper than just a change in a childs outward appearance.
Hair loss can make the child lose its self confidence and limit them from experiencing
life the Because we never charge families for hair replacements, we depend on
generous people like you that want to help donate hair for cancer and other sources
of hair loss. In order to help children who have suffered from hair loss due to
complications such as Alopecia in children and other medical issues, a monetary of
hair donation is always appreciated.

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Chapter 5 Impressive Children with Cancer

There are two kids that really stand out to me, their names are Jacob and Alex and I
have their story. Jacob was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma; a rare form of brain
cancer. At various stages, Jacob suffered serious impairments such as inability to
walk, talk, or even eat. He was a patient at the hospital for over nine months; that is
over two years.He was determined to win the fight and go back to school. During the
course of treatment he underwent several surgeries. He had six weeks of radiation
and multiple rounds of chemotherapy.Unfortunately this treatment did not eliminate
this disease. It was shutting down his body and making it impossible for him to go
through treatment.The disease spread through his body and it went to his brain and
spine. Unfortunately Jacob passed away on January 16,2009.

This is the story of Alex. Alex was born in Manchester, Connecticut. As a baby she
was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a childhood brain cancer that affects the bodys
nerves.. On her first birthday, the doctor said she beat her cancer. They said she may
never walk again. By her second birthday, she was crawling and walking with leg
braces. She was beating the odds. She worked to get her strength back. Until she
heard that her tumors were growing back. In the year 2000, the day after her
birthday, she had a cell transplant. She informed her mother that when she gets out
of the hospital she wanted to make a lemonade stand. While Alex was in the hospital
her parents held a monthly lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer
research. I found a little background information on Alex. Heres what she said. Her
name was Alex Flynn Scott. Her birthday was January 18,1996. She says I am Alex. I
am eight years old and I have Neuroblastoma. I raised money for pediatric cancer
research with the help of other kids and grown ups with my lemonade stand. I raised
money to research a cure for pediatric cancer. I live with my two brothers, my
parents and my dog. I live in Pennsylvania and down the street is Philadelphia. My
favorite color is blue and purple. I like penguins. My favorite food is french fries. My
favorite book is Junie B. Jones and the Little house on the Prarie. My favorite movie
is Scooby Doo.

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Conclusion
Now that you know about the pediatric cancer problem. You can visit a local hospital
and see what you can do to make them much happier than the day before. Host a
donation stand to raise money for pediatric cancer. You can also bring gifts to the
children in the hospital.

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Glossary
Alopecia: Loss of hair; baldness.
Computed tomography: is an imaging procedure that uses special X-ray
equipment to create detailed pictures or scans of areas of the body.
Magnetic resonance imaging: is a medical test that that helps physicians
diagnose and treat medical conditions.
Oncologist: The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and
treatment of cancer.
Simulation: consists of a treatment planning a CT scan taken the specific
are of the be treated and taken in the position of treatment.

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Sources
www.kidvcancer.org/facts
www.alexlemonade.org
www. cancer.gov/ Types of pediatric cancer
www.cancer. gov

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