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Infantile cancer

Cancer develops as a result of an alteration in the DNA which transforms a normal cell into a tumoral cell.

The mechanisms which facilitate the genetic alteration are complex and not always well understood. The existence of environmental factors of physical, chemical or biological origins are also sometimes able to induce a lesion.

In recent decades the advances in diagnosis and treatment of neoplastic illnesses in childhood have greatly increased a child’s possibilities of survival. However, cancer continues to be the second cause of death in children younger than 15, outnumbered only by accidents.

In the 1950s the possibility of curing the majority of neoplastic illnesses was not greater than 20%. Today, 75% of the cases reported globally are considered curable, especially when the illness is diagnosed in its initial phases.

The occurrence of different types of neoplastic illnesses vary according to age. The most frequent are leukemias, brain tumors, lymphomas, bone tumors, thyroid carcinomas…

The general schema for handling a tumor would be the following:

• Phase 1: Diagnostic
  Radiology, CAT Scan, MRI, Sonogram, Radioisotopes, Histology, Microscopy, Genetic, etc.,
  
  
• Phase 2: Treatment
  Surgery, Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Bone Marrow Transplant.
  
  
• Phase 3: Evolutionary Control
  If, after the treatment of an infection with the most appropriate antibiotic we can say that it is now cured, and should not recur, we unfortunately can not say the same when dealing with a neoplastic illness. After the appropriate treatment and positive results, the patient then passes into a follow-up phase, or, evolutionary control. Given that a worst case scenario would be that a neoplastic cell had been left behind in a larva stage, or remission, and could become virulent, this evolutionary control is extremely important.
  
  

The first year after treatment is the period when it is most likely for the patient to experience a relapse so during this time a child must pass clinical, analytical, and radiological tests on a regular basis. Making it through the first year diminishes the likelihood of a relapse, but as the possibility still exists, the testing continues for the next five years, albeit less frequently.

The figures for survival of infantile cancer are given at three and five years after the diagnosis, which is when we can speak of an illness-free survival.