Malignant neoplasms affect not only adults, but also children. They penetrate both into cellular tissues and into the circulatory system. Blood cancer in children is much more common than any other oncological pathology.
General information
Blood cancer is a generic name for malignant tumors of the hematopoietic system. This term is widely used among patients, while doctors call this group of diseases hemoblastosis. This disease is a tumor that appears as a result of abnormal activity of bone marrow structures. Such a neoplasm not only disrupts the normal process of cell division, but also grows rapidly by itself, spreading throughout the body.
Such an abnormal phenomenon causes oppression and gradual displacement of he althy blood cells. That is why any signs of blood cancer in a child are always associated with a decrease in the number of he althy cells.
This pathology can be called a real epidemic. Too often today, doctors diagnose "leukemia" in very young, lifeless patients.
Many mistakenly consider blood cancer to be the same oncological disease as tumors in the internal organs. However, in reality, such a pathology develops in a completely different way. Damaged cells cover the entire body, moving through it along with the circulating blood flow. That is why this type of cancer is extremely difficult to detect. After all, the tumor cannot be felt at the time of palpation. It can only be detected through bone marrow analysis.
Development mechanism
What are the causes of blood cancer in children? The symptoms of this disease are directly related to uncontrolled cell division. But what becomes the trigger mechanism for this anomalous process?
The bone marrow functions as a hematopoietic organ that produces blood cells. There are several varieties of these elements.
- Leukocytes act as a barrier against bacteria, infections, viruses and other pathogens entering the plasma.
- Platelets. They are necessary to maintain the integrity of body tissues. With various injuries, blood clots occur. It is with their help that platelets cover the injured place in the tissue, due to which the blood stops being transported.
- Erythrocytes. They play the role of a kind of transport in the body. They supply the cells with the oxygen they need.
Each of the described types of cells can become malignant. Predominantly young elements are exposed to this pathology.
Etiology
There can be many reasons for the emergence of such a mechanism. The main predisposing conditions are:
- exposure to radiation - a sudden jump in the epidemic among the child population occurred after the accidents at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki;
- harmful environmental background - technical modernization also has a negative side for humanity, it is because of it that environmental degradation is observed around the world;
- genetic predisposition - the risk of getting sick in a baby whose family has cancer patients is much higher than in a child whose relatives have never had cancer;
- deterioration of the protective properties of the immune system.
The main cause of blood cancer in children is considered to be a weakened immune system. Usually this phenomenon occurs after the child has suffered a serious illness. By the way, scientists have found out an extremely curious fact. It turns out that children suffering from allergies are less prone to cancer. This is due to the fact that their immunity is constantly in good shape.
Features
In order for an abnormal process to start, just one mutated cell is enough. It begins to divide intensively, which is why the signs of blood cancer in children appear quite quickly. It is noteworthy: the younger the baby, the faster the pathology progresses in his body.
What is the name of blood cancer in medicine? In many sources, this disease is often referred to as leukemia or leukemia. Thispathology involves abnormal cell division of the leukocyte type. But this particular type of disease is so common that most people under it perceive all types of blood cancer.
Clinical picture
Signs of blood cancer in children and adolescents are almost the same as in patients of mature age. At the initial stage, the disease is extremely difficult to detect, but certain symptoms can still be distinguished:
- somatic manifestations should include too high fatigue, forgetfulness, insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness;
- abscesses and skin injuries take a very long time;
- bruising, swelling, skin color becomes pale in the eye area;
- Bleeding gums, regular nosebleeds;
- the child is regularly sick, suffering from viral and infectious diseases.
At the next stage of blood cancer, children develop symptoms that are very similar to those of ordinary diseases, which makes it very difficult to diagnose the anomaly in time. Usually the clinical picture of the pathology is characterized by:
- slight increases in body temperature for no apparent reason;
- aching pain in knees and elbows;
- excessive bone fragility;
- lack of appetite - a child can completely refuse even their favorite treats;
- regular migraines, dizziness;
- fainting;
- chronic fatigue, loss of interest in the outside world.
Critical signs
All the described symptoms are known to be characteristic of many respiratory and infectious diseases. That is why parents usually do not pay attention to the presence of these signs of blood cancer in a child. But they must be alarming, especially if they are also accompanied by:
- drastic weight loss;
- the occurrence of apathy, because of which the child wants to sleep all the time;
- dryness and yellowing of the skin;
- irritability;
- excessive sweating during rest;
- reddish rashes;
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- enlargement of the spleen, liver, abdomen.
If these signs are detected in a child, it should be immediately shown to a specialist. In addition, it is very important not to miss the manifestations of internal bleeding: vomiting with blood streaks, severe weakness, hypotension, cough with ichor, blood in the urine, tachycardia, clots in the feces. All these signs may be mild, but they should never be ignored.
Diagnosis
If an oncological pathology is suspected, the child is sent for a comprehensive examination, which begins with a blood test. In blood cancer, the indicators for each bone marrow sprout deviate from age norms. So, there is an acceleration of ESR, a decrease in the characteristics of erythrocytes and hemoglobin. The concentration of reticulocytes also decreases - their number reaches only 10-30% ofthe norm, due to the age of the child.
Indicators of blood tests for blood cancer can indicate both an increase (30010^9) and a decrease (1.510^9) in the volume of leukocytes. Their number is completely determined by the form and stage of leukemia. The number of platelets also becomes abnormal - their number is much less compared to the age norm. That is why babies diagnosed with blood leukemia are faced with poor blood clotting - even a small abrasion leads to profuse blood loss.
There is also a significant decrease in hemoglobin levels. Its indicator is only 20-60 g / l. In the early stages of blood leukemia, anemia may be absent, but it is always present in the later stages of development.
In the biochemical analysis, among other things, other abnormal deviations will be revealed. For example, a specialist may notice a significant increase in the concentration of urea, transaminases, bilirubin and creatinine. This indicates serious damage to the glomeruli and hepatocytes of the kidneys. But the volumes of fibrinogen and glucose, on the contrary, are significantly reduced.
Other techniques
Specialists from the Dmitry Rogachev Center - one of the best oncology clinics in the capital - talk about the importance of a blood test for suspected cancer in a child. The information obtained through this study is often decisive. Based on these data, the doctor can already confirm or refute the alleged diagnosis.
In addition, a small patient can additionally be referred to:
- radiography;
- immunohistochemistry;
- bone marrow biopsy;
- computed tomography.
With the help of these methods of diagnosing blood cancer, doctors can get the most detailed picture of the disease: determine the degree of damage to the bone marrow and internal organs, the type of tumor and the presence of metastases.
Chemotherapy
Scientists around the world continue to work on developing more effective and safer ways to get rid of cancer. But today there are only two of them:
- bone marrow transplant;
- chemotherapy.
The last technique involves the introduction of large doses of an extremely toxic drug into the blood of a sick child. Only with the help of such aggressive drugs can the malignant cells in the bloodstream be completely destroyed.
The main disadvantage of this method of treatment is the non-selectivity of the effect of the drug. After all, along with damaged cells, he althy elements also die. First of all, tissues that are characterized by rapid development are affected by chemotherapy:
- hair follicles;
- bone marrow;
- cells of the digestive tract.
This is why young and adult patients often experience nausea, diarrhea and hair loss. Along with these consequences, others appear: anemia, leukopenia, loss of appetite.
After chemotherapy, children are given blood transfusions toreplenishment of the lost number of platelets and red blood cells.
It is noteworthy that such treatment is tolerated by a child much better than by a mature patient. Of ten young children with blood cancer, seven survive chemotherapy after chemotherapy.
Operation
Many doctors recommend bone marrow transplantation to patients diagnosed with leukemia, which involves the administration of its concentrate taken from a he althy donor. But before performing such an operation, the child's existing bone marrow is destroyed. Such manipulation is carried out with the help of special chemicals. Both damaged and he althy cells die from this.
But in reality, surgery is used only in extreme cases, when the neoplasm is malignant. As a rule, close relatives of the child become donors for surgeries.
Specialists from the center of Dmitry Rogachev talk about the importance of diagnosing pathology, which in many respects actually determines the need for a particular treatment. True, doctors say one more thing: the main thing in the treatment of oncological diseases is time. The sooner you start treating your baby, the more likely it is to get a really good result. And since the body of children recovers much faster, then therapy in babies is much easier than in adults.
Forecast
How long do people live with blood cancer? In fact, further predictioncompletely depends on the stage of leukemia, its severity and the age of the child. Acute disease is characterized by aggressiveness and transience. That is why the prognosis for this form of oncology is usually unfavorable.
In the case of a chronic form of blood cancer, we can talk about a benign course of the pathology and a positive outcome. With such leukemias, a positive result of therapy is observed in 75% of all cases of the disease among children, while in the acute form this figure reaches only 50%.
