Chennai: Chennai has the highest number of childhood cancer incidence in Tamilnadu and also in south of India. Across India, the city ranks second, only next to New Delhi.
This distressing bit of information was provided by Adyar Cancer Institute tumour registry head, R Swaminathan.
Speaking to News Today on World Childhood Cancer Day that is observed 15 February, he said, “On an average, every year, the city witnesses around 250 new cases of cancer and in Tamilnadu the number comes up to 3,500 children. Blood cancer, in medical terms called leukemia, is common across the world and in children among the sub types, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) sees severe spike in children.”
The other common types in the State include lymphomas, brain, eye, kidney and bone cancers. While 60 per cent of tumour in children is constituted by ALL, the rest 40 per cent would be the other kinds, he explained.
Explaining about the high incidence of ALL, Swaminathan stated, “For every one lakh population, 14 children are diagnosed with leukemia in metropolitan cities and eight for one lakh people in the rural areas of the country. Going State-wise, of the total count, 300 cases can be children with blood cancer.”
However, he attributes the rising number of cases in cities to the availability of instruments for cancer diagnosis and lack or not well-developed facilities in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Speaking about the condition, Cancer Institute assistant professor and pediatric oncologist, Dr Venkat Radhakrishnan, said, “The reason remains unknown which hampers prevention. All over the world, healthcare experts are researching to identify the cause. At present, the country is just equipped to diagnose and offer treatment. Children with blood cancer are put under chemotherapy for three years.”
About awareness in the city, he stated that it differs. “There are a few who come forward in the beginning stage and there are also patients who try out alternative medicines and consult oncologists during the later stages. Assessment is difficult, but there is certainly delay,” pointed out the doctor.
The doctor stated that blood cancer exhibits generic symptoms that make it difficult to identify, and added, “Prolonged fever, anaemia, bleeding from gums and enlargement of lymph nodes are a few of the signs of blood cancer.”
Speaking about the cases in Egmore Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Hospital for Children, director, Dr A T Arasar Seeralar, said, “In 2018, the hospital had about 120 ALL and 35 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. The survival of ALL was about 30-40 per cent, for AML immediate survival was about 50 per cent. However, a majority of the patients entered relapse within a year or two.”
Oncologists state that ALL is totally curable if the patient is brought at the right time to the right centre as there are eight to 10 well-equipped regional cancer centres in Tamilnadu.
| TACKLING FEAR |
| In addition to chemotherapy, the facility provides chemoport for children who fear to undergo the traditional procedure due to pain.On it, ICH’s Pediatric Oncologist, Dr Aruna, said, “For administering chemotherapy, it has to be done through the veins; however, children are afraid of syringes as they have to undergo the procedure often. In the other method, it is surgically implanted which makes it easier for the patients to cope with the treatment.”
The facility was inaugurated 2018 and currently 20-25 children are under chemoport treatment. The cancer unit of the hospital is supported by NGOs that is also planning to install additional 20 chemoports for the benefit of children. |