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Index AboutCommon TypesSigns & SymptomsClinical TrialsPublic PolicyDisparitiesQuality of Life |
From facts and statistics to the human realities behind them, many of the issues explored in A LION IN THE HOUSE are revisited on this Web site. Pediatric cancer has so many faces, including the patients, families, researchers, caregivers and health care professionals. Learn how they interconnect in this topical look at childhood cancer. About Pediatric Cancer In the United States, approximately 12,400 children and adolescents are diagnosed with pediatric cancer each year, thrusting children and their families into complex medical systems, economic hardship and emotional turmoil. Today, cancer remains the most common disease-related cause of death for one to 19-year-olds, and the fourth most common cause of all deaths, after accidents, homicides and suicides. Common Types Leukemias, sarcomas, lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, tumors. Warning Signs and Symptoms Many of the symptoms of pediatric cancer arise for completely benign or unrelated reasons. While it’s important to be able to recognize the signs, it is equally important to follow a careful process of diagnosis before making assumptions or becoming alarmed. Clinical Trials Although advancements in curing childhood cancer can only result from clinical trials and research, deciding to participate in a clinical trial can still be a difficult decision. Public Policy At the core of public policy, lawmakers and governmental agencies create policies and programs that promote public welfare. Cancer Health Disparities An estimated 564,830 Americans are expected to die of cancer in 2006. Although the disease affects people of all racial and ethnic groups, a closer look at cancer rates reveals disparities in incidence, prevalence and mortality among those groups. Quality of Life: Palliative, End-of-Life, and Bereavement Care Palliative care is described as “medical care that lessens pain or the side effects from treatment of a disease, such as cancer.” Palliative care helps to make patients more comfortable at every stage of an illness. End-of-life and bereavement care are difficult but important aspects of some families’ cancer journeys.
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