In continuation with our September’s theme, we are concentrating on spreading awareness about cancer in children. In this particular blog post, we have listed some important facts and figures that should give you a fair bit of idea about cancer in kids.
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Child-cancer
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- Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and roughly accounts for 8% total deaths worldwide in a year. More than 70% of all cancer deaths are caused in second and third world countries.
- The most common forms of cancer are lung, stomach, liver, colorectal, cervical and breast cancer.
- There are more than 100 types of cancer that can afflict any body part. Cancers grow at really high speeds, sometimes growing a million times in space of a few days.
- About 20% of all cancers arise from chronic infection. Common examples are human papillomavirus (HPV), causing cervical cancer and Hepatitis B virus (HBV), causing liver cancer.
- If diagnosed and treated properly, more than 30% of all cancers can be cured.
- More than 50% of all cancer can be prevented by following a healthy diet plan, abstaining from tobacco and leading a physically active lifestyle.
- Leukamia and Cancer of the brain and CNS (Central Nervous System) account for a majority of cancer in children.
- The highest incidence of leukemia is observed in children aged 1-4 years (8.4%). The highest death rate is among children aged 15-19 years (0.9%).
- The highest incidence of brain and CNS cancer is observed in children aged 1-4 years (4.1%). The highest death rate is among children aged 5-9 years (0.9%).
- The average age of a child diagnosed with cancer is 8 years.
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(Stat Courtesy: World Health Organization)