>> Jennifer: NEW DATA SHOWS
CHILDHOOD CANCERS HAVE RISEN 13%
ACROSS THE WORLD IN THE LAST 20
YEARS.
IN THE TEN YEARS SPAN BETWEEN
2001 AND 2010, 140 OUT OF EVERY
1 MILLION CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE
OF 14 WERE DIAGNOSED WITH
CANCER.
THAT IS A 13% INCREASE AS WE
MENTIONED.
JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS WHY WE
ARE SEEING THE INCREASE, PLUS
THE WARNING SIGNS PARENTS NEED
TO LOOK OUT FOR IS Dr. SCOTT
ACKERMAN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, DO
APPRECIATE IT.
I FIND VERY LITTLE REASONS I
SHOULDN'T JUST WORRY
CONSISTENTLY ABOUT MY CHILDREN.
AND I WAS READING THIS YESTERDAY
AND THOUGHT, OH, NO, DON'T TELL
ME A RISE IN CHILDHOOD CANCERS.
BUT IS THAT MORE KIDS ARE
GETTING CANCER OR THERE IS
SOMETHING ELSE, OTHER FACTORS
INVOLVED HERE?
>>> I THINK THERE ARE OTHER
FACTORS INVOLVED CHILDHOOD
CANCERS ARE STILL VERY RARE.
13% RISE THIS THE PAST 20 YEARS
IS MAINLY IN THE MORE DEVELOPED
COUNTRY IN NORTH AMERICA,
EUROPE.
WE THINK THE REASON ISN'T THAT
THERE IS MORE CANCER CASES, BUT
THAT WE'RE JUST BETTER AT
DIAGNOSING IT.
CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED FROM
UNKNOWN CAUSES, MAYBE THEY DIED
YOU KNOW, SUDDEN INFANT DEATH
SYNDROME, THAT SORT OF THING,
BUT NOW THAT THEY'RE DIAGNOSES,
WE'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY CHILDREN
WITH CANSER WHO HAVE GONE
UNIDENTIFIED IN THE PAST.
INTERESTING -- AND NON-DEVELOPED
COUNTRY WE DON'T SEE THIS RISE.
I'M SURE CHILDREN ARE DIEING OF
CANCER AS WELL, WE JUST DON'T
KNOW IT.
>> Jennifer: I SUPPOSE IT IS
ENCOURAGING TO KNOW THAT GOINGS
ARE RECOGNIZING THAT PERHAPS
EARLIER BECAUSE THE EARLIER YOU
CATCH A CANCER, GENERALLY THE
BETTER OUTCOME IT IS FOR THE
CHILD.
IT IS INTERESTING ALSO BECAUSE I
WAS READING LEUKEMIA APPEARS TO
BE A THIRD OF THE CANCER CASES
INVOLVING CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE
OF 13.
WHY IS THAT?
AND WHAT IS LEUKEMIA, EXACTLY.
>>> FIRST OF ALL, REGARDING THE
CURATE FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER,
RIGHT NOW 80% OF CHILDHOOD
CANCERS ARE CURED.
80% OF CHILDREN WHO DEVELOP
CANCER LIVE FIVE YEARS AND CURED
OF IT.
LEUKEMIA IS A BIG PART OF THAT.
AND ADVANCE AND TREATMENT OF
LEUKEMIA IS WHY SO MANY CHILDREN
WHO DIE FROM CANCER SURVIVE
CANCER.
IN THE '80sAND '70s LEUKEMIA
WAS A DEATH SENTENCE BUT NOW IS
HIGHLY CURABLE.
WHY LEUKEMIA, IT IS JUST IS THE
MOST COMMON CANCER IN CHILDREN.
IT MAKES UP ABOUT A THIRD OF
CHILDHOOD CANCERS.
TUMORS THAT ARE COMMON, BUT LESS
COMMON ARE BRAIN TUMOR, KIDNEY
CANCERS, BONE TUMORS A WELL.
LEUKEMIA FOR WHATEVER REASON IS
THE COMMON ONE AND PHYSICIANS
NOW WHEN THEY SEE A CHILD WHO
HAS A FUNNY LUMP OR BUMP OR A
FEVER, WHO HAS MALAISE, THEY'RE
CHECKING BLOOD WORK AND
IDENTIFYING CHILDREN THROUGH
BLOOD WORK COULD BE DIAGNOSED
WITH LEUKEMIA.
>>> AND TARGETS IN THE LYMPH
NODES AND.
>>> LEUKEMIA IS A DISEASE OF THE
BLOOD SYSTEM.
ALSO IN CHILDREN WE HAVE HODGE
KENS DISEASE.
KIND OF SIMILAR DISEASES, AND
TREATED IN SIMILARLY, BUT
LEUKEMIA IS A DISEASE OF THE
BLOOD SPECIFICALLY THE WHITE
BLOOD CELLS.
>> WHAT ARE WARNING SIGNS, NOT
JUST OF LEUKEMIA BUT CANCER IN
GENERAL.
IT IS TYPICAL IN CHILDREN THAT
IS A GENETIC MAKEUP.
IT NOT OTHER THAN ENVIRONMENTAL
FACTORS.
TYPICALLY BUT WHAT ARE SYMPTOMS
FOR PATIENTS THEY SHOULD BE
AWARE OF.
>>> NOT A LOT YOU CAN DO THE
PREVENT CHILDHOOD CANCER BECAUSE
MOST OF IT THOSE DO WITH SOME
SORT OF GENETIC DEFECT OR
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED, YOU
KNOW, IN THE GESTATION PERIOD.
BUT, YOU DON'T WANT TO IDENTIFY
CHILDHOOD CANCER EARLY, AND YOU
WANT TO BE AWARE OF YOUR
CHILDREN AND WHAT THEY MIGHT
HAVE AND MAKE SURE THEY GET TO A
PHYSICIAN.
LUMPS WHICH WOULD BE LIKE AN
ENLARGED LYMPH NODE OR SWELLING.
IF YOUR CHILD HAS LOSS OF ENERGY
AND PALENESS OR EASY BRUISING
THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH
LEUKEMIAS, ONGOING PAIN IN ONE
PART OF THE BODY, COULD BE A
BONE CANCER, BONE TOMBOX LIMPING
COULD BE A BONE CANCER.
A FEVER, SOMETIMES IF YOUR WHITE
COUNT IS LOW OR WHITE CELLS ARE
NOT WORK RIGHT, MORE PRONE TO
INFECTIONS.
BRAIN TUMORS ARE NOT UNCOMMON IN
CHIEN AND USUALLY ASSOCIATED
WITH VISUAL CHANGES OR NAUSEA,
VOMITING OR HEADACHES.
ANY WEIGHT LOSS WE SEE IN ADULTS
OR CHILDREN SUDDEN WEIGHT LOSS
MAKE PUT YOUR ANTENNAS UP.
CANCER DOS CONSUME A LOT OF THAT
ENERGY, THE CALORIES THAT WE
TAKE IN AND SO, THAT FREQUENTLY
ASSOCIATED WITH WEIGHT LOSS.
>> Jennifer: ALL OF THOSE
SYMPTOMS REASON TO ENGAGE YOUR
PEDIATRICIAN AND PARTICULARLY
YOUR DOCTOR TO MAKE SURE THIS IS
NOT JUST THE FLU OR SOMETHING
YOUR CHILD IS SUFFERING BUT IT
COULD BE SOMETHING MORE SEVERE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE,
APPRECIATE IT.
ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU.
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