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A malignant tumor of epithelial origin that develops in the bronchi and respiratory tract is a very dangerous disease. In an adult, this is a big disaster, but when lung cancer strikes children, it is a tragedy. This is a rare disease, but still occurring. The problem is further complicated by the fact that the baby cannot correctly explain what is happening to him, where it hurts, what is the nature of the pain. Neoplasms are masked by the symptoms of others, of a catarrhal nature (whooping cough, for example).
The first signs of lung cancer in children
Parents or people around them cannot imagine that coughing, lack of appetite, lethargy can be external manifestations of lung cancer at an early stage.
Secondary signs:
When a child has coughing fits with sputum secretions, adults raise the alarm. Only after a wet cough do they begin to notice such signs:
Hard breath;
Swelling of the veins in the neck;
swelling of the face;
The child complains of pain in the head when coughing.
Following this, parents begin to speculate where their child could have contracted cancer. You don’t have to look far to answer this question, though.
Causes of Cancer in Children
There are many reasons why children get cancer. Here are the main ones:
The result of passive smoking. Adults smoke nonchalantly in children’s rooms, next to playgrounds;
The current environmental situation in industrial cities in itself provokes childhood lung cancer;
genetic disposition. Relatives of children with cancer have had oncological diseases;
Smoking of the expectant mother during pregnancy;
The cause of the disease can be toys and products. Oncologists advise choosing infant formulas carefully, studying their composition and place of origin. It is better to refuse bright Chinese toys; carcinogens are used in dyes.
Symptoms of lung cancer in children
Cancer cells have such a feature as excessively rapid growth. Therefore, parents should be on the lookout if the child has a combination of such symptoms:
severe headache;
Swelling of the face, neck, swelling of the veins in the neck;
Difficult breathing with hoarseness;
Attacks of violent coughing with expectoration.
Adults should immediately consult a doctor, without waiting for the cancer to pass to the last stages, and actively engage in treatment.
Treatment of cancer in children, as in adults, is carried out with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. With a combination of these two methods, a sick child has a better chance of surviving.