Introduction
The chances of being cured of childhood cancer have
improved dramatically over the years. This
is due to advances in the treatments
available and new drug therapy. The aim of this information is to give you an
overview of some of the side effects of treatment that your child is likely to
experience. This is only a guide; treatment changes and local hospitals may
have different policies. It is very important that your child should have as
normal a life, psychologically and socially, as possible and we would urge you
to take every step possible to have him or her attending school or play group.
There is a risk of contracting chicken pox and measles. There is more
information about infections later on.
Chemotherapy:
what is it?
Chemotherapy is name for a group of drugs
used to destroy cancer cells. These are also known as cytotoxic (cyto=cell and
toxic=poison) drugs or anti cancer drugs. Chemotherapy affects all rapidly
dividing cells in the body, damaging them so they can no longer divide and
grow. Unfortunately, chemotherapy cannot tell the difference between healthy
cells and cancer cells so some normal cells which divide rapidly are also
damaged as a side effect.
There are three main types of cells affected
by chemotherapy :
·
The
bone marrow -
which is a “factory” producing blood cells. There are several types of blood
cells made in the marrow: white cells (which fight infection), red cells (which
carry oxygen) and platelets (which play a part in blood clotting).
·
The
cells in the lining of the gut and the mouth
- resulting in problems with vomiting and diarrhoea (associated with some drugs
only). Some treatment carries a risk that your child may develop a sore mouth.
·
The
hair follicles
- resulting in hair loss (alopecia). This is
temporary, and hair will grow again, once treatment is finished. For some
children this is a gradual process, for others it will fall out quickly.
Your child’s treatment will include courses
of chemotherapy given at certain times depending on the protocol (plan of
treatment). There may be a rest period between courses to allow the normal
cells time to recover. The expectation is that healthy cells can repair
themselves whereas cancer cells will be killed.
Radiotherapy:
what is it?Not all children who have cancer need radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy or radiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays,
usually X-rays,
to kill cancer cells. The actual treatment is
painless and may only take a few minutes, however, your child will need support and guidance in
preparing him or herself for the therapy. Radiotherapy is
a localised treatment, which means it only kills cancer cells in the area of the body at which it
is directed. Cancer cells are more sensitive to radiotherapy than
normal cells and those normal cells which may be affected, recover
quickly. If
your child is to receive radiotherapy, the
doctors, nurses, radiotherapists and radiographers will give you further information.
Both Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy is useful for the treatment of cancer.
"There are clearly
important challenges one has to overcome in designing a cancer vaccine,"
Laheru said. The major challenge is to get the body's immune system to
recognize and attack the special proteins that distinguish cancer from normal
cells.
"In disease, the key
proteins are known," he said. "We don't know them for pancreatic
cancer. Also, many cancer cells can secrete substances that allow them to evade
the immune mechanism."
"There are clearly
important challenges one has to overcome in designing a cancer vaccine,"
Laheru said. The major challenge is to get the body's immune system to
recognize and attack the special proteins that distinguish cancer from normal
cells.
"In disease, the key
proteins are known," he said. "We don't know them for pancreatic
cancer. Also, many cancer cells can secrete substances thalow them to evade
the immune mechanism."