A Consultant Paediatric haemato-oncologist, Dr Magdalene Odunvbun, has urged parents and guardians to be vigilant in spotting early signs of cancer in children and to seek prompt medical examination and treatment. Dr. Odunvbun, a paediatrician at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, shared this advice in a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin.
Highlighting a critical challenge in childhood cancer management, Dr. Odunvbun stated, “Our greatest challenge in cancer management in children is that by the time they come for treatment, they come very late. The disease has spread to other parts of the body and the percentage of care has become very low, what should have had a 90 per cent rate of cure becomes five percent of cure.”
She emphasized the importance of early detection, urging parents not to wait for tumors to grow large before seeking medical attention.
Dr. Odunvbun specifically advised against relying on traditional treatments for tumors. “Parents should not wait for an abnormal growth of cancers in their children’s bodies to grow very big before seeking appropriate care. Parents should also stop using native treatment for tumors, this is because by the time they present to the hospital they have exhausted all their money without a cure,” she said.
Dr. Odunvbun clarified that children, just like adults, can develop cancers. She explained, “Children do have cancers just like adults, and cancers develop in body cells which are present in both adults and children.” Dr. Odunvbun further defined cancer as “uncontrolled multiplication of body cells.”
She then outlined some of the common areas where cancer appears in children. “The common sites of cancer in children are the eyes, the kidneys, the blood, and the lymph nodes,” Dr. Odunvbun specified. She elaborated on the early signs of eye cancer, describing them as “a speck in the child’s eye that looks like a cataract; a tumor growing in the retina.”
Dr. Odunvbun also described other potential warning signs: “In some children, early signs of cancers include growth appearing in certain parts of the body; it can be on the neck or stomach. It can be anywhere. Once you see any abnormal growth anywhere in your child’s body, let the child be taken to the hospital for examination.”
With regards to blood cancer, Dr. Odunvbun stressed the importance of seeking medical attention if a child experiences repeated blood shortages. She advised, “For blood cancer, the child starts having repeated shortage of blood by the time a child has received a blood transfusion two times within a short period, the child should be assessed in the hospital. Blood cancer in children can also present in the child’s body, always getting hot and you are always treating the child for fever; let the child be assessed in the hospital.”
Dr. Odunvbun went on to express concern regarding the lack of financial support for childhood cancer treatment. She urged both government and non-governmental organizations to provide assistance to families facing this challenge. “Parents do not receive government support for treatment. Often, they abandon the treatment because they cannot afford it, even when the child is close to being cured,” she lamented.
Dr. Odunvbun highlighted the negative impact of financial limitations on treatment completion rates. “Due to the lack of funds to continue treatment, the cancer often returns after being abandoned. In the developed world, eight out of every ten children with cancer are cured, but in Nigeria, only two out of ten may be cured,” she explained. She concluded by drawing a comparison to healthcare systems in developed countries, where “the government covers the cost of treating children through health insurance, so, parents are not paying out of pocket. This ensures timely treatment and better compliance.”
Source: Punch New
