September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, designated to call attention to this condition which deeply affects families across the world, including here in Alabama.
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is part of the Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition (ACCCC), which works to reduce the impact and burden of cancer in the state and offers insights and resources.
The vision of the ACCCC to eliminate the burden of cancer in Alabama and reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality of cancer in all Alabamians and build a sustainable effort for cancer prevention and control in Alabama.
According to its website, the coalition fulfills its mission by improving access, reducing cancer disparities, advocating for public policy and implementing the Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, which addresses primary prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship, follow-up care and palliative care.
The mission fits well with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's current priority areas, which are to emphasize primary prevention, coordinate early detection and treatment interventions, address public health needs of cancer survivors, implement policies to sustain cancer control; eliminate disparities to achieve health equity, and measure outcomes and impact through evaluation.
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 15,000 children and adolescents ages 0-19 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States and 1,590 will die of the disease. Pediatric cancers are the leading cause of death from disease of children and adolescents. The cause of most pediatric cancers remains unknown.
Alabama health experts say many cancers in children are found early, either by a child’s doctor or by parents or relatives. Cancers in children, however, can be hard to recognize in early stages because symptoms are often like those caused by much more common illnesses or injuries. Children often get sick or have bumps or bruises that might mask the early signs of cancer.
Cancer in children is not common, but it is important to have your children examined by a doctor if they have unusual signs or symptoms that do not go away, such as these listed by the American Cancer Society:
- An unusual lump or swelling
- Unexplained paleness and loss of energy
- Easy bruising or bleeding
- An ongoing pain in one area of the body
- Limping
- Unexplained fever or illness that doesn’t go away
- Frequent headaches, often with vomiting
- Sudden eye or vision changes
- Sudden unexplained weight loss
More information on common symptoms for specific types of childhood cancer can be found in Types of Cancer that Develop in Children.
On a positive note, medical advances mean many childhood cancers are highly treatable. The American Association for Cancer Research reports that pediatric cancer death rates have declined by almost 70 percent over the past four decades.
More information on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Alabama and recommendations to help reduce cancer risks can be found here.
