Preventing Childhood Cancers

Childhood Cancer: Prevention Steps and Key Information

Despite its rarity, childhood or pediatric cancer remains one of the leading causes of disease-related death in children and adolescents. In 2025, the incidents of child cancer rates are predicted to grow by 12.8%. Thus, understanding why is childhood cancer increasing, its causes, and possible prevention methods is the need of the hour. 

Keep reading for a detailed insight. 

What is Pediatric Cancer?

Pediatric cancer refers to health conditions that include some of the malignant diseases in children and adolescents. These include leukaemia, brain and other Central Nervous System (CNS) tumours, lymphoma, and solid tumours like neuroblastoma and Wilms tumour.

Unlike cancers that occur in adults, which are often related to lifestyle and public health, the origins of childhood-related cancers remain less clear — and are usually not connected to lifestyle choices.

Why is Childhood Cancer Increasing?

Childhood cancer rates have been steadily rising over previous decades. The exact causes of this increase are not entirely clear, but multiple factors could be involved:

1. Better Diagnostic Techniques: Improvements in medical technology that have allowed for earlier and more accurate detection of cancers could be contributing to the rise in cases.
2. Environmental Exposures: There are still lots of unknowns, but specific environmental toxins, radiation, and industrial chemicals may play a role.
3. Genetic Factors: Some cancers are more common among certain families due to inherited genetic abnormalities.

Finally, although these should be recognized as contributing factors to the increase in cases, the overall risk of a child developing cancer is still low.

Causes of Childhood Cancer

The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. Nonetheless, some factors have been pointed out:

• Genetic Mutations: Hereditary and somatic mutations in genes that control cell growth can cause cancer. Inherited mutations are found in every cell and can be passed from parents to children, while acquired mutations occur spontaneously and are not inherited.
• Environmental Exposures: High-level radiation exposure, such as from radiation therapy used to help treat other cancers, has been associated with an increased risk of childhood cancers. Other environmental factors are under investigation, but definitive associations have not been established.
• Parental Exposures: Some studies indicate that if your parents were exposed to certain chemicals or smoked tobacco, you may have a higher risk of cancer. However, more research is needed to prove this connection.

Can Childhood Cancer Be Prevented?

Most adult cancers can be prevented with lifestyle adjustments, but most childhood cancers cannot be prevented. It is because they are often unknown and out of control. But some steps can lower your risk:

1. Limiting Unnecessary Radiation Exposure: Reducing exposure to ionizing radiation, including unnecessary medical imaging, may lower risk. Such procedures should only be performed when they are medically necessary.
2. Genetic Counseling: If a family has cancer, a genetic counsellor can explain the risks if they exist, and what can be done to prevent them.

Ultimately, these are second guesses, and if a child gets cancer, rarely, anything the child (or the parents) could have done would have prevented it.

Promoting Childhood Cancer Awareness

Raising awareness about child cancer is important for early detection and support. More awareness means more funding for research and more effective treatments and support systems for families affected by the disease. Awareness campaigns can help educate the public on the symptoms of these types of cancer in children, which can improve diagnosis and prognosis.

Supporting Cancer Children And Their Families

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it usually impacts the entire family. Complete support systems, from medical care to psychological support to social services, are needed to help families cope with the challenges of treatment and recovery. Pediatric oncology specialists and clinical trials often give children the most promising treatments.

Though pediatric cancers are complex and challenging to prevent, given their mostly still unknown causes, some risk factors can be minimized, and early detection can be encouraged. Children benefit from the avoidance of radiation exposure, and genetic counselling when warranted, is an option for some families. Additionally, there may be parental steps that they can take to create a healthy environment.

It is equally imperative to raise awareness for childhood cancer and provide strong support networks for families affected. As we continue to educate and advocate, we can advance the field of understanding, prevention, and treatment of childhood cancers. This will help us move towards the end goal of a future where every child has the opportunity to grow up cancer-free.