Malignant neoplasms affect not only adults, but also the children's population. They penetrate both the cellular tissue and the circulatory system. Blood cancer in children is much more common than any other oncological pathologies.
General information
Blood cancer is a generic name for malignant tumors of the hematopoietic system. This term is widespread among patients, but doctors call this group of diseases hemoblastosis. This ailment is a tumor that appears as a result of abnormal activity of bone marrow structures. Such a neoplasm not only violates the normal process of cell division, but also itself rapidly grows, spreading throughout the body.
Such an abnormal phenomenon causes inhibition and the gradual displacement of healthy blood cells. That is why any signs of blood cancer in a child are always associated with a decrease in the number of healthy cells.
This pathology can be called a real epidemic. Too often today, doctors diagnose "leukemia" to very small patients who have not experienced life.
Many mistakenly consider blood cancer to be the same oncological disease as tumors in internal organs. However, in reality, such a pathology develops in a completely different way. Damaged cells cover the entire body, moving along it with circulating blood flow. That is why this type of cancer is extremely difficult to detect. After all, a 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? Signs of this disease are directly related to uncontrolled cell division. But what becomes the trigger mechanism for this abnormal process?
The bone marrow functions as a blood-forming organ that produces blood cells. There are several varieties of these elements.
- White blood cells act as a barrier against bacteria, infections, viruses and other pathogenic microorganisms 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 block the place injured in the tissue, due to which the blood ceases to be transported.
- Red blood cells. They play the role of a kind of transport in the body. They supply the necessary oxygen to the cells.
Each of the described cell types can become malignant. Mostly young elements are exposed to this pathology.
Etiology
The reasons for the emergence of such a mechanism may be mass. The main predisposing conditions are:
- radiation exposure - a sudden jump in the epidemic among children occurred after the Chernobyl accident, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki;
- detrimental environmental background - technical modernization also has a negative side for humanity, it is because of it that environmental degradation is observed throughout the world;
- genetic predisposition - the risk of getting sick in a baby whose family has cancer patients is much higher than in a baby whose relatives have never had cancer;
- deterioration of the protective properties of the immune system.
The main reason for the development of blood cancer in children is considered weakened immunity. Usually this phenomenon is observed after the child has suffered a serious illness. By the way, scientists have found an extremely curious fact. It turns out that children suffering from allergies are less susceptible to cancer. This is due to the fact that their immunity is constantly in good shape.
Features
In order for the abnormal process to start, just one mutated cell is enough. It begins to divide intensively, which is why signs of blood cancer in children occur quite quickly. It is noteworthy: the smaller the baby’s age, the more rapidly 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. This pathology involves abnormal cell division of the leukocyte type. But it is this type of disease that is so common that most people under it perceive all types of blood cancer.
Clinical picture
The signs of blood cancer in children and adolescents are almost the same, exactly as in mature patients. At the initial stage, the disease is extremely difficult to detect, but certain symptoms can still be identified:
- somatic manifestations include fatigue, forgetfulness, insomnia, or, on the contrary, drowsiness;
- ulcers and skin injuries drag on for a very long time;
- bruises, swelling in the eye area, the skin color becomes pale;
- the gums are bleeding, regular nosebleeds are observed;
- the child is regularly sick, suffering from viral and infectious ailments.
In the next stage of blood cancer, children develop symptoms that are very similar to the symptoms of common 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 pains in the knees and elbows;
- excessive brittle bones;
- lack of appetite - a child can completely abandon even his favorite treats;
- regular migraines, dizziness;
- fainting state;
- chronic fatigue, loss of interest in the outside world.
Critical signs
All the symptoms described are known to be characteristic of many respiratory and infectious diseases. That is why usually parents do not pay attention to the presence of these signs of blood cancer in the child. But they must be alarming, especially if they are also accompanied by:
- sudden weight loss;
- the occurrence of apathy, because of which the child all the time wants to sleep;
- dryness and yellowing of the skin;
- irritability;
- excessive sweating during rest;
- reddish rashes;
- swollen lymph nodes;
- enlarged 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 streaks of blood, severe weakness, hypotension, coughing with red blood, blood in the urine, tachycardia, clots in the feces. All these signs can be mild, but in no case can they be ignored.
Diagnostics
If a child is suspected of having an oncological pathology, they are referred for a comprehensive examination, which begins with a blood test. In blood cancer, indicators for each bone marrow sprout deviate from age norms. So, there is an acceleration of ESR, a decrease in the characteristics of red blood cells and hemoglobin. The concentration of reticulocytes is also reduced - their number reaches only 10-30% of the norm, due to the age of the child.
The indicators of blood tests for blood cancer can indicate both an increase (300 * 10 ^ 9) and a decrease (1.5 * 10 ^ 9) in leukocyte volumes. Their number is completely determined by the form and stage of leukemia. The platelet count also becomes abnormal - their number is much smaller compared to the age norm. That is why babies diagnosed with blood leukemia experience poor coagulability - even a small abrasion leads to profuse blood loss.
A significant decrease in hemoglobin levels is also observed. Its rate is only 20-60 g / l. In the early stages of blood leukemia, anemia may be absent, but it is always present in the late stages of development.
In biochemical analysis, among other things, other abnormal abnormalities 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 of the Dmitry Rogachev Center, one of the best oncological clinics in the capital, talk about the importance of a blood test for suspected cancer in a child. Information obtained through this study is often crucial. Based on these data, the doctor can already confirm or refute the alleged diagnosis.
In addition, a small patient can be additionally aimed at:
- roentgenography;
- immunohistochemistry;
- bone marrow biopsy;
- computed tomography.
Using these methods of diagnosing blood cancer, doctors can get the most detailed picture of the disease: to determine the degree of damage to the bone marrow and internal organs, the type of tumor and the presence of metastasis.
Chemotherapy
Scientists around the world do not stop working on developing more effective and safer ways to get rid of cancer. But today there are only two of them:
- bone marrow transplantation;
- chemotherapy.
The latter 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 medicines can 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, at the same time as damaged cells, healthy elements also die. First of all, tissues that are characterized by rapid development suffer from chemotherapy:
- hair follicles;
- Bone marrow;
- digestive tract cells.
That is why small and adult patients often experience nausea, diarrhea and hair loss. Along with these consequences, others appear: anemia, leukopenia, decreased appetite.
After chemotherapy, children are given a blood transfusion to make up for the lost number of platelets and red blood cells.
It is noteworthy that such treatment is tolerated by the child much more often than by a mature patient. Of the ten young children with blood cancer, seven survive after chemotherapy.
Operation
Many doctors recommend patients with a diagnosis of leukemia bone marrow transplantation, which involves the introduction of its concentrate seized from a healthy donor. But before performing such an operation, the child destroys the existing bone marrow. Such manipulation is carried out using special chemicals. Both damaged and healthy cells die from this.
But in reality, surgical intervention is used exclusively in extreme cases, when the neoplasm is malignant. Donors for operations, as a rule, are close relatives of the child.
Specialists from the center of Dmitry Rogachev talk about the importance of diagnosing pathology, which in many ways actually determines the need for a particular treatment. True, doctors say one more thing: the main thing in the treatment of cancer is time. The sooner you start treatment for the 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 many live with blood cancer? In fact, the further prognosis completely depends on the stage of leukemia, its severity and age of the child. An acute disease is characterized by aggressiveness and transience. That is why the prognosis for this form of oncology is usually unfavorable.
If a chronic form of blood cancer is detected, we can talk about a benign course of pathology and a positive outcome. With such leukemia, a positive result of therapy is observed in 75% of all cases of the disease among children, in acute form this indicator reaches only 50%.