A paediatric cancer diagnosis is a frightening proposition for children and their parents. However, cancer treatments have come a long way over the years, and many common childhood cancers can be treated effectively when caught early enough.
The following are a few common treatments children with cancer may receive. The more information parents have on prospective treatment, the better informed they will be when it comes to their child’s care.
Much like adults with cancer, children with the disease often benefit from chemotherapy. Chemotherapy drugs destroy cancerous cells within the body, which prevents tumours from growing and spreading to other areas.
Children with cancer may also benefit from targeted drug therapy, which entails taking medications that target certain molecules within cancerous tissue to destroy cells or to stop them from growing. This treatment usually requires genetic testing, which gives doctors an idea of how cancerous cells will respond to the drug being administered.
There’s also immunotherapy, which uses a person’s immune system to target cancerous tissues in the body. Under normal circumstances, the immune system neglects to attack cancerous cells because it may not recognize them as foreign invaders. With immunotherapy, the immune system has an easier time targeting cancerous cells.
Along with medication, treatment of paediatric cancer may also involve surgery, radiation therapy, and other approaches. Some children may only need one type of cancer treatment to achieve recovery. Others will require a combination of treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgery. It all depends on the type and severity of the cancer your child experiences.
Drug treatments for cancer also come with health risks of their own. Your doctor will explain possible side effects and help you determine whether the risk of treatment is worth the benefits.