Screen children for cancer: Minister
Screen children for cancer: Minister
Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi has called on parents to have
their children checked for cancer at the earliest possible stage
to ensure better chances of survival.
Official statistics show that up to 4,000, or 2 percent, of
the 200,000 new cases of cancer in Indonesia affect children.
Sujudi said in a media statement on Thursday that childhood
cancer was curable so long as it is detected at the earliest
point possible and properly treated.
"Often, the treatment will require removal of the cancerous
organ to save the patient's life. This is important to know for
the doctor, parents and everybody concerned," he said.
The survival rate for children with cancer is about 70
percent, provided the disease is detected at an early stage and
is properly treated.
The minister made the statement in conjunction with
International Childhood Cancer Day, which falls on Jan. 15.
Quoting World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, Sujudi
said that, around the world, 250,000 children live with cancer.
They account for four percent of the total number of people with
the disease.
According to the WHO, only 20 percent of the world's children
cancer patients receive access to proper care and, as a result,
80 percent remain untreated.
The International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent
Organizations (ICCCPO) has reported that the lack of proper
treatment and diagnosis has led to the deaths of 100,000 cancer-
stricken children around the world annually.
The WHO predicts that cases of cancer have grown by over six
million worldwide per year, and that an estimated nine million
will die from the disease over the course of next decade.
Sujudi said that, generally, cancer in children is harder to
detect than that in adults -- such as cancer of the ovary, skin
and breasts.
To address the situation, the Ministry of Health will join
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved with health-
related issues on a campaign to improve public awareness about
the need for an early diagnosis of the childhood cancer.
Cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled
multiplication of abnormal cells in the body. In many cases, this
proliferation of cells occurs in a vital organ or tissue, and
inhibits its normal functions -- with possible fatal results.
According to Djajadiman Gatot, a noted oncologist, the
survival rate for children with cancer is higher than the adult
rate, provided that the disease is detected and treated at the
earliest possible phase.
Gatot said in a media conference that the most common
childhood cancer in Indonesia is leukemia, a chronic disease of
unknown cause characterized by blood abnormalities.
In fact, some 40 percent of all children reported to have
cancer here suffer from leukemia, he added.
Experts say that there is no clear correlation between
economic status and cancer.
Most common types of childhood cancer
Leukemia, an abnormal increase in the number of leukocytes in the
tissues of the body -- with or without a corresponding increase
of those in the circulating blood.
Brain Tumor, an abnormal mass of tissue that serves no useful
purpose for the brain.
Retinoblastoma, a hereditary malignant tumor of the retina
derived from retinal germ cells.
Osteosarcoma, a sarcoma derived from bone or containing bone
tissue.
Lymphoma, a harmful tumor of lymphoid tissue.
Neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor formed of embryonic ganglions
cells.
Rabdomiosarcoma, abnormal growth of muscle tissues.
Wilms' Tumor, a rapidly developing cancer of the kidney that
affects children and made up of embryonic elements.