Why do children get cancer?

Childhood cancer makes up less than one percent of all cancers. These types of cancer are different from those seen in adults. Childhood cancer is rare although it’s among the leading cause of death in many children. If your child has unexplained lumps or swelling, weight loss, fever, rashes, unexplained vomiting, or back pain, you should consider seeing a specialist who will investigate further. Know and read more about childhood cancer on this site.

Why do children get cancer?

There is no single easy answer. In adults, we know that different environmental factors contribute to various cancers. In childhood cancer, environmental factors rarely contribute. Early detection combined with toxicity treatments reduction increases chances of survival.

The fact that children develop tumors suggests other mechanisms that result in this development. Genetics highly contribute to the causes of childhood cancer. The network of genes that contribute to body development is somehow disturbed by certain genes.

Identifying the gene variants can be a difficult and time-consuming task. You will need to sequence DNA samples from different children to capture as many variations as possible. Sophisticated analytical tools are required to ferret out the gene variants. Some of the gene mutations are enough to cause cancer by themselves. One genetic mutation is not enough to cause cancer. It requires changes in the DNA and other mutations that cooperate together. Achilles heel are the mutations that contribute to kids’ cancer. They are the chink and mostly cancer’s weak spot.

Most common children’s cancers include:

• Cancer of the bone marrow and blood (Leukemia): It’s the most common of cancers in children.
• Brain and central nervous system tumors
• Neuroblastoma: It starts early in the nerve cells in the developing embryo. Mostly found in children about 3-4 years old.
• Lymphoma: Typically arises in the lymph node.
• Retinoblastoma: Occurs in children around the age of 2. it can start in any area of the body.
• Bone cancer: It’s most often in older children.