Today, many countries around the world are holding various events to mark the International Day of the Child with Cancer. The event was launched in 2002 at the initiative of the International Confederation of Parents of Children with Cancer, UNN writes.
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Pediatric oncology still remains one of the key medical problems of society. According to the World Health Organization, about 400,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer every year.
The most common types of cancer among children are leukemia, brain cancer, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and Williams tumor.
Doctors still cannot establish the exact causes of cancer in children.
A very small percentage of them can be caused by environmental factors and the child's lifestyle. The risk factors are HIV and Epstein-Barr virus. Approximately 10% of children with cancer may have a genetic predisposition to the disease.
Treatment of most types of cancer in children requires surgery, as well as radiation and chemotherapy. In high-income countries, the treatment success rate and survival rate for children with cancer reaches 80%. While in middle- and low-income countries, this figure does not exceed 30% on average.
Every year, about 150 thousand children die of cancer worldwide.
In Ukraine, about a thousand children are diagnosed with cancer every year. According to various statistics, 50% of the total number of children with cancer in Ukraine die.
In order to improve the situation, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine has developed the National Cancer Control Strategy until 2030. This program is aimed at improving the quality of life of patients, providing affordable and high-quality medical services in Ukrainian hospitals, and solving systemic problems in this area.
"Unfortunately, experience shows that state support in the fight against the disease is not enough for children. Many cases require funds that are too much for state funding, let alone for parents' family budgets," say representatives of the DobroDiy Charity Exchange.
That's why the DobroDiy Charity Exchange, founded by Olena and Yulia Sosiedky, provides comprehensive assistance to children with cancer.
"Now we have continued to raise funds on our website for 9-year-old Sasha Bushneva, who, thanks to the support of those who care, has tamed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To keep the girl in remission, she needs to take expensive medications and undergo regular check-ups. You can support Sasha in her fight at link," the charity organization said.
The philanthropists emphasized that childhood cancer can be cured, and for this purpose, children must receive high-quality and timely treatment.
"We believe that children have the right to timely, high-quality treatment and care. We are trying to do our best to provide children with medicines for this terrible disease and hope for the support of those who care!" the Charity Marketplace emphasized.