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Leukemia effects on kids
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Childhood leukemia is a fast-growing cancer, most common in teens and children. It is cancer of the white blood cells. The affected cells for in the patient's bone marrow and very quickly travel through the bloodstream, attacking any healthy cells they encounter on the way. There are many things that may cause this cancer.. Some causes can be low immune system, and unhealthy environmental surroundings such as smoking. There are also some argued-about causes that are a bit on the controversial side, such as living near a nuclear power plant, or how old the patient’s mother was when they were born. The most common cause currently known is heredity. When it comes to diagnosis, doctors have a hard time differentiating leukemia from other minor
Annette could not take that as a final answer and told her that she would not just leave it and should get a second opinion and have another test run. The patient went back and requested a more thorough test be completed, she got the results back and everything was clear and her primary care physician assured her she was fine. Initially she would perform the exams as learned in school, but now after finding something abnormal, she now does a more thorough check, especially on patients with a previous history of cancer. This incident solidified her belief in early detection and proper documentation.
In 1998, the most common cause of child and adolescents death claimed approximately 2500 young lives in the United States alone. The cause of this dreadful loss of life was due to childhood cancers. This paper explores the changes in the life of children dealing with cancer, families that have been affected by these diseases (also known as pediatric cancer) and a small part of the journey they experience. Cancer does not discriminate and affects all members of the family unit. This paper investigates the challenges that a family will experience from the first diagnoses through palliative care. It examines research and statistic about childhood cancer from organization as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the National Cancer Institute's (NCI), Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF), and other cancer research organization. Although there are 12 major types of cancers that affect children, the main focus in this paper will be acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). It will also include an interview, the personal experiences of a family, real life emotions, and the effect on the parents and sibling of the (Ashtyn) child presently facing acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Life is no longer what formerly was known as being normal. Life with cancer becomes a new journey, the new normal family life that, unfortunately is not normal, but a life that includes cancer.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the worlds largest non-profit organization which funds blood cancer research and providing patient services and education. The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and myeloma and to improve quality of patients and there families. This is done by discovering new cures and making blood cancers a story of the past.The organizations national office is located in White Plains, NY. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has local chapters through out the United States and Canada.
A hematologic disorder is a disorder that affects the blood. These physicians also treat kids with: leukemia, lymphoma, embryonal tumors and genetic blood disorders, such as sickle-cell anemia and hemophilia. Pediatric oncologists work in hospitals in the oncology department. Pediatric oncologists duties: examine patients, order diagnostics tests, make diagnoses, and prescribe treatments. They also can counsel family and children to deal with the illnesses. The average salary of a pediatric oncologist is about $274,859. The job growth percentage is about 18%. This is a challenging job because you are working with children with
“The word 'leukemia' is a very frightening word. In many instances, it's a killer and it's something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you're going to beat it” - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Many people, including tons of children, fight leukemia every day trying to beat this vicious cancer. Without knowing how leukemia is exactly caused, it puts a damper on how to avoid it.
Franklin, Anna. "Questions About Young Adult Cancer That ’50/50′ Doesn’t Answer." Interview by Marc Silver. National Geographic. 30 Sept. 2011. Web. .
Steen, Grant R. and Joseph Mirro. Childhood Cancer: A Handbook From St.Jude Children's Research Hospital . Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publisher, 2000.
No matter who it happens to, any type of cancer is heart breaking. However, one’s heart seems to crack a little bit deeper when you hear a child has been diagnosed. Several forms of cancer can arise during childhood. The most common is called acute lymphoblastic/lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). In fact, it is so common between the ages 0-14, that people refer to it as childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Kanwar, 2013).
A child with leukemia will not have the same physical development as a healthy child. Around the ages from 6-8, children begin to slowly gain height and weight. The child with leukemia may grow slower and most likely lose weight, instead of gaining it. Another milestone children at that age go through is self-conscious emotions. The child may feel self-conscious because they look and live very differently from their peers. This may cause them to feel emotionally upset. Peers who are unaware of their diseases my tease and bully the child, which causes them emotional
Acute Myeloid Leukemia is one of the three types of leukemia that can form in the blood and bone marrow. Mostly called AML, it is the most common type of acute leukemia that is found in adults over 65 years but can increase with age. Acute Myeloid Leukemia starts in the bone marrow but can travel inside the blood. It is defined as the cancer of myeloid, which can be related to the bone marrow, line of blood cells which is caused by rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that pile up in the bone marrow. It disrupts the production of normal blood cells. The three different types of blood cells that AML would be in are red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets which are a small colorless cell fragment. This type of cancer can get worse quickly if it is not treated or discovered. One interesting fact about AML is that they are classified as different names like acute granulocytic leukemia, acute myelioblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, and acute nonmphocytic leukemia.
How does one see the symptoms for childhood cancer? First one must know that there are many different types. There are forty different types of children’s cancer, including: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Sarcomas, cancers of the nervous system, liver cancers, kidney cancer, and more. Out of these cancers, the two most common childhood cancers are Leukemia, and brain tumors. What is leukemia? It is a cancer in which the bone marrow and other organs that produce blood produce and increased amount of immature or abnormal white blood cells. The symptoms of leukemia are paleness, excessive bruising, pain in the joints, and fatigue. Brain tumors are formed when a massive amount of cells are produced on the brain. The symptoms for this are frequent headaches, vomiting, seizures, decreased coordination, weakness, and problems concerning vision.
A characteristic of ALL is that it has a rapid onset and is seen usually in ages 2-8 but can affect different age groups. It is said that, a good portion of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia arises as a B- cell precursor. Professionals say, “ALL is associated with various alterations in the number of chromosomes and chromosomal translocations, and each specific alteration has prognostic significance” (Braun & Anderson). Possible alterations that could cause Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is “. . . Down syndrome, Ataxia-telangiectasia, and Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)” (KidsHealth, 2014). Also, children who have had radiation or chemotherapy in the past have a higher risk factor. However, this does not mean you will have cancer or doesn’t mean you will have
Yeoh, C., E. Kiely, and H. Davies. "Unproven treatment in childhood oncology - how far should paediatricians co-operate." Journal of Medical Ethics. v20, n2. June 1994. pp. 75-77.
Pediatric Palliative Care When an innocent child is diagnosed or is seriously ill with a life threating disease or serious medical condition such as cancer or a hereditary disorder, it is extremely important to provide special care during the difficult time. A special type of care such as palliative care can avail and be an important part of care for a child living with a life-threatening disease or illness (National Institute of Nursing Research National Institutes of Health 2015). However, it has come to the attention that there is a higher prevalent of adult palliative care than pediatric palliative care.
Age As you grow older, the more you are prone to having cancer. However, it’s not always true. There are certain types of cancer that develop during childhood. For example, some children and young adolescents have been known to be prone to