Judith Pena | February 14, 2023
Every February 15, the world community commemorates the International Day of the fight against Childhood Cancer, and for this reason Pediatric Oncologist, Michael Pimentel spoke with Radio Panama about the importance of parents, relatives or caregivers being attentive to warning signs of possible cancer in children.
Pimentel highlighted that in Panama the most common cancers that we have in our child population are leukemia, a cancer that affects the blood, in second place tumors of the central nervous system or brain tumors and in third place, not most frequent, are lymphomas or tumors. They affect the lymph nodes, which are usually found in the neck, in the armpits, in the groin and in the abdomen.
He added that the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization continue to encourage the prevention or timely management of childhood cancer, emphasizing above all early detection following certain signs and symptoms that are the most important for detect these types of cancer in children.
The specialist explained that one of the main alerts is given through the observation of the skin, for example if we have a child who has skin that is bruised, very pale and has red dots, “these are signs that they are going to be alerting us because the patient may have a condition either in their platelets or in their hemoglobin that can be associated with different types of cancer such as blood glucose and lymphomas, “he said.
Another important piece of information highlighted by Pimentel is that people or relatives have to be alert to the appearance of a white spot in the eye, this spot could indicate some type of eye problem, ranging from a tumor at the level of the retina or another condition Therefore, early detection is extremely important, “because the earlier the diagnosis is made, the much easier it is to treat.”
Another sign that cannot be ignored is the increase in the abdomen or tummy of the child. If a patient has an abnormal increase in the abdominal area, it must be ruled out that I do not have a mass or important organ of this, such as the liver, kidneys or a tumor that can also be above the kidney or adrenal gland. This would be a neuroblastoma, a type of tumor in the abdomen that is very evident.
Additionally, parents should be aware when there is bleeding, either from the gums or from the nose. “If a child has a lot of persistent bleeding and has been bleeding for more than a month, beware, you have to take him to the doctor because he may be suffering from an alteration in his system,” he specified.
Another aspect to consider are the normal nodes of the ear, in the neck, in the back of the ear, in the armpit, in the part near the elbows. A node larger than 2 centimeters is not normal, so you must be alert.
The disproportionate increase in some joints such as arms, legs, ankle fingers are another type of alert.
“If a joint begins to increase in volume or begins to inflame without receiving a blow, but out of nowhere, you have to be thinking that it could be a soft tissue cancer of the muscle or bones,” he said, assuring that in Panama Children’s Health entities are working on research to make the appropriate treatments for these types of cancers.
