Childhood cancer is nothing short of heartbreaking. When a doctor tells a parent that their child has cancer, it can be absolutely devastating.
Fortunately, advances in medicine have leveled the playing field and today, children have a greater chance of surviving childhood cancer. Read on to find out about some of the treatments that are available.
Surgery
Surgery can be performed to remove cancerous tumors from the child’s body. The hope is to remove the entire tumor and the tissue around the tumor. However, oftentimes microscopic tumor cells are left after surgery. In these instances, radiation or chemotherapy may be used to completely get rid of the cancer.
Systemic Therapy
Systemic therapy is the use of medication to destroy cancer. The medication is usually administered directly to the bloodstream via an IV but it can also be taken in pill form. The most common types of systemic therapy are chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Radiation Therapy
In radiation therapy, oncologists use high energy x-rays or other particles like photons to destroy cancer cells. The most common type of radiation therapy is external beam radiation which is transmitted from a machine outside the body. Internal radiation is another form of treatment that uses implants for transmission.
Doctors typically try to avoid using radiation therapy on children because it has the potential to damage healthy organs and tissues.
Bone Marrow or Stem Cell Transplant
A bone marrow or stem cell transplant is a medical procedure used to replace the bone marrow containing cancer with highly specialized cells called hematopoietic stem cells. These cells eventually develop into healthy bone marrow.
There are two types of stem cell transplantation – allogenic (ALLO), which uses donated stem cells, and autologous (AUTO), which uses the patient’s own stem cells.
Cancer Prevention
It is fortunate that there are so many options when it comes to treating childhood cancer, but for many parents, the main goal is to do everything they can to keep cancer from occurring. A healthy diet is a good first step. It may be difficult to get your child to eat antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables, but adding the right supplements to the diet can make up for any deficiencies.
Multivitamins have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and they are a great addition to a healthy diet. If you are looking for a high quality multivitamin for your child, Metabolic Maintenance’s Little One Children’s Multivitamin is recommended.
The Metabolic Maintenance company specializes in amino acid formulas. Amino acids are the most important nutrients when it comes to supporting healthy living.
Their Little One Children’s Multivitamin has nutrients that support growth and development in children 6 -12 years old. They come in an easy to swallow, gluten free formula with no added ingredients, so your child gets only what’s on the label.
Childhood cancer are two words no parent wants to hear. But with the right care and treatments, cancer is treatable and preventable. What steps do you take to keep your children and yourself healthy?