‘Raise awareness on pediatric cancer’
BACOLOD City – The Department of Health (DOH) has declared April as “Cancer in Children Awareness Month.”
City hall is supporting the DOH’s initiative to raise awareness on pediatric cancer, according to the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
“Cancer is a very rare disease in children. Its cause is unknown so most of the time the cancer is already in its advanced stage by the time it is diagnosed. Childhood cancer affects children from birth to 19 years old,” the city council said in a resolution authored by Councilor Sonya Verdeflor.
The most common symptoms of pediatric cancer are dizziness, vomiting, unexplained fever or recurring fever, unexplained weight loss, frequent headaches, fatigue, paleness, sudden eye or vision changes;
Excessive bruising or bleeding; swelling or pain in the joints, bones, pelvis, back, or legs; lump in the armpit, leg, chest, stomach or pelvis; and recurring or persistent infections.
“In our country today, the most common pediatric cancer is acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is generally thought to start in the bone marrow, but leukemic blasts may be systematically present at the time of presentation,” the resolution stated.
“They may be present in the bone marrow, thymus, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and testes,” it added. “The classic symptoms of this illness are fatigue and paleness, fever, and bruising or bleeding.”/