Symptoms of childhood cancers

The world marks the International Day of Childhood Cancer this Sunday, a time to reflect on the status of countries in dealing with the problem.

According to the Indonesian Childhood Cancer Foundation (YOAI), childhood cancer still lacks proper attention from experts in developing countries.

Society's awareness is also still low; many parents do not realize that children can have a congenital cancer.

Both genetic and environmental factors can cause cancer, such as exposure to radiation, drugs, hormones and pollution.

Leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer here. Other type are brain tumors, rhetinoblastoma (eye cancer), lymphoma (lymph cancer), neuroblastoma, rabdomiosarchoma (a type of muscle tissue cancer) and osteosarchoma (bone cancer).

Here are symptoms of childhood cancer, as listed on YOAI's website www.onkologianak.org. * Paleness, fever, abnormal bleeding (bruises, nosebleeding, blood in urine), weight loss, appetite loss. * Problems with eyes: white spot, visibility problems, large eyeballs, bulging eyes, bleeding, sudden development of cross- eyes. These symptoms usually occur in children below four years old. * Swelling of the liver, spleen, knee, testicles, lymph glands and bones. * Pain in the bones or the joints. * Prolonged headache along with nausea and vomiting upon waking up in the morning, motoric problems, decreasing consciousness, convulsions/seizure, paralysis or palsy.

-- Hera Diani