Can You Protect Your Child from Pediatric Cancer?

Pediatric cancer has been on the rise for decades and it is only now that the problem is starting to get the attention it deserves. Even then, insufficient funding in the field is curbing the speed of research. All of this leads us to the question; can we protect our children from pediatric cancers? The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no.

There are Ways to Decrease the Chances

The causes for pediatric cancer are far from being clear at the moment, but environmental factors such as being exposed to radioactivity can definitely contribute to the development of cancer in infants and children. On that note, here are a few precautions that parents can take to at least reduce the chances of their children developing any form of the disease.

1. Exposure to chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, cleaners, etc. should be limited or stopped totally
2. Smoking during pregnancy or being in an environment with tobacco smoke is to be avoided
3. Doctors may suggest preemptive surgery in certain cases to eliminate the chances of the child developing cancers due to genetic inheritance of susceptible genes
4. Adoption of an organic source of nutrition over processed food by the parents might help to reduce the chances of pediatric cancers in the infant
5. Radiation inspections before buying or renting a house/apartment is a must, especially if the building is an old one

Prevention May Not Always be an Option

Unfortunately, most of these precautions are not an exact science and there isn’t sufficient data behind them for us to consider them anything more than precautionary measures. In more than 80% of the detections, pediatric cancer is a result of genetic anomalies and abnormalities, so there’s very little that the parents can actually do to prevent cancerous developments in such cases. Nevertheless, timely detection and treatment often saves the lives of thousands of children every year. In other words, although prevention may not always be an option, treatment during the early stages can work.

What Other Option Do We Have?

The situation regarding pediatric cancers is quite murky as of now, since a lack of sufficient research data has made it quite difficult to detect the effects of possible causes and the extent to which they play a role in bringing about the disease. Our best hopes for the future lies in better research today, but that can only be brought on through childhood cancer donations made by individuals and corporate and government agencies. The research personnel involved need the funding to improve the quality of care, treatment and maybe even find a better cure for the disease in the future.

As is evident, preventing childhood cancer through preemptive surgery is possible in a very rare number of cases and the other precautions might reduce the chances somewhat, but if a child has developed symptoms of pediatric cancer, it is important to understand that in most situations, there is probably very little anyone could have done differently to prevent it.