Cancer of head, eyes and nervous system in children under 14
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, May 9
The recent data of the Cancer Population Registry 2015-2017 reads that in children under 14, cancer of the nervous system, eyes, and head are most prevalent in Georgia.
The information was released by the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) of Georgia.
The cases of cancer in children aged 0-14 look as follows:
Cancer of lymphatic, hemopoiesis and related tissues - 2016 – 47 cases, 2017 – 32 cases
Cancer of nervous system, eyes and head – 2016 – 19, 2017-11 cases
According to the percentage indicators, in children 0-14 years lymphatic, hemopoietic and related tissues cancer is leading with 50% and oncology diseases of the eye, brain and central nervous system - 17%.
Moreover, in children 13-18, 52% of oncologic diseases registered in the age group included lymphoid, hemopoietic and related tissue cancer, followed by oncologic diseases (20%).
In 2016, there were 42 new cases of cancer in the age group of 15-19 years.
The NCDC says these statistics are not alarming and is in line with the world data. As for world statistics, there were 215 000 new cases of cancer in children under 12 in 2015. In teenagers aged 15-19, this indicator is 85 000.
Not all cases of cancer are registered in the world, which means the number of new cases of cancer is far higher than the official statistics.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents around the world and approximately 300,000 children aged 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer each year.
The most common categories of childhood cancers worldwide include leukemias, brain cancers, lymphomas and solid tumors, such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor.
Also, in high-income countries, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, but in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) only about 20% are cured.
Besides, avoidable deaths from childhood cancers in LMICs result from lack of diagnosis, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, obstacles to accessing care, abandonment of treatment, death from toxicity, and higher rates of relapse.
As childhood cancer generally cannot be prevented or screened, improving outcomes for children with cancer requires early and accurate diagnosis followed by effective treatment.
Some chronic infections are risk factors for childhood cancer and have significant relevance in low- and middle-income countries. For example, HIV, Epstein-Barr virus and malaria increase the risk of some childhood cancers. Other infections can increase the child’s risk of developing cancer as an adult, so it is essential to be vaccinated, and other pursue other methods such as early diagnosis or screening to decrease chronic infections that lead to cancer, whether in childhood or later.
