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Recognize early warning signs of childhood cancer and understand the genetic and environmental risk factors that may affect your child’s health.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Spotting cancer in children can be challenging because the early signs often look like symptoms of common illnesses, such as a cold or the flu. Since you know your child best, it is important to see a doctor if you notice any unusual symptoms that do not go away or get worse.
Early warning signs can include:
Cancer patients undergoing treatment require vigilant monitoring for certain symptoms that may indicate life-threatening complications. While many side effects are manageable, specific emergency signs demand immediate medical attention to prevent serious outcomes. Recognizing these critical symptoms early can be crucial for preventing treatment interruptions and ensuring patient safety. This guide highlights the key warning signs that warrant urgent emergency care during cancer treatment.
Seek urgent medical help if your child experiences any of the following:
These severe symptoms can sometimes be related to low blood counts or pressure on the central nervous system, requiring immediate attention.
Unlike adult cancers, most childhood cancers are not strongly linked to lifestyle choices. The cause is largely unknown in the majority of pediatric cancer cases. However, some environmental and lifestyle factors, primarily related to the mother’s exposure during pregnancy, are being studied.
Most risk factors for childhood cancer are non-modifiable, meaning they are part of a child’s inherent makeup or are related to their early development.
Cancer in children is rare, and most children with risk factors, even major ones, will never develop the disease. The majority of pediatric cancers are not caused by known environmental or lifestyle factors but by random DNA changes that happen early in life. If your child has a known genetic condition that increases risk, specialized screening and frequent checkups can help catch any potential cancer at the earliest, most treatable stage.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Warning signs include an unexplained lump or swelling, persistent and unexplained fevers, frequent headaches with vomiting, easy bruising, and extreme fatigue that doesn’t go away. Since these symptoms can be common childhood illnesses, it’s important to see a doctor for any persistent or concerning changes.
Children with specific inherited genetic syndromes, like Down syndrome or Li-Fraumeni syndrome, have a higher risk. Other high-risk factors include previous cancer treatment (chemotherapy or radiation) and exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation.
While most major cancer symptoms like fatigue, pain, and masses are similar, some specific types of tumors can appear more commonly in one gender (e.g., neuroblastoma is slightly more common in males). However, the most important symptoms to look for are general persistent changes in health.
Unlike adult cancers, lifestyle factors play a small role. Risk factors relate mostly to parental exposures, such as parental smoking (especially the father’s) and exposure to certain pesticides. Minimizing a child’s medical radiation and avoiding secondhand smoke are the main preventive steps.
In a small number of cases (5-10%), childhood cancers are linked to inherited gene mutations that run in families, such as the RB1 gene mutation for retinoblastoma. However, most childhood cancers are caused by genetic changes that happen randomly after the child is conceived and are not passed down.
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