Medical students miss childhood cancer signs

FINAL-YEAR medical students remember only six of at least 20 early warning signs of childhood cancer.

They are especially weak at diagnosing brain cancer‚ the second most common form of childhood cancer‚ described as particularly concerning by a research team from the medical school at Wits University.

Paediatrician Jennifer Geel said the findings‚ reported in the SA Medical Journal‚ were troubling as early diagnosis was vital for treatment and preventing complications such as cognitive and learning difficulties and irreversible brain damage.

Five-year survival rates of South African children with cancer are poor – about 50%‚ compared with more than 80% in high-income countries – and Geel said under-diagnosis may be partly to blame.

“It has been estimated that two-thirds of South African children with cancer do not reach an appropriate specialist centre and many of the children who present to a paediatric oncology unit do so with advanced disease‚” Geel said.

Early warning signs of childhood cancer‚ such as unexplained bleeding and fever‚ easy bruising‚ fatigue‚ loss of weight and appetite‚ change in balance‚ aching joints and an enlarging head were easily mistaken for common illnesses.

Geel’s team involved 84 finalyear medical students.

They averaged a score of six. Then they gave them a list of 20 symptoms and asked which were linked to cancer (all were) – and they averaged 70%.

Geel said medical schools should reassess student’s training to spot childhood cancer.