International Childhood Cancer Day

In its ability to counter the deadliest diseases, medicine remains paramount. Every year, International Childhood Cancer Day is celebrated in order to bring attention to the life-threatening illness that brings countless challenges to those afflicted.

International Childhood Cancer Day. Source: Jagran

Setting the bar for the progress and development of mankind, medicine and science continue to pose formidable opponents in the face of inevitable diseases and problems. Even when countless remain ensnared in the webs of diseases and unaffordable healthcare, the mere hope of a better future is precisely what makes medicine a glimmer of hope.

The Globocon Report published in 2020 concluded that more than 20,000 cases of childhood blood cancer are diagnosed in India every year. Not just this, about 50,000 childhood cancer cases are found in India, with more than half attributed to leukaemia.

Every year, February 15 is globally celebrated as International Childhood Cancer Day. In an attempt to not just spread awareness about the different kinds of childhood cancer that could afflict young patients but also elucidate that when diagnosed and appropriately treated, young patients can heal wholly, this global celebration marks the victory of mankind over this critical disease.

Even though treatments through chemotherapy, injections, and operational intervention continue to become more advanced, for children who have to stray away from the normal, the idea of a disease can be frightening. In an interview with Indian Express, Dr Gauri Kapoor, the medical director at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, highlights how the mental health of young patients continues to be a matter of grave concern. As young children frequent the hospitals to receive intensive treatments as per their progress, they upend whatever normalcy they have had.

As young children try to grasp the intricacies of social settings, having to change one’s daily surroundings and undergo treatments that are physically and socially exhausting can prove to be a monumental challenge. Naturally, the stress that builds up for young patients continues to be a matter of concern.

Launched by the World Health Organisation in September 2018, International Childhood Cancer Day isn’t just a collaborative event to disseminate knowledge about cancer in young children but also to address the inequities that cause thousands of young patients to forgo treatment and palliative care.

Tata Memorial Hospital, one of the most renowned institutions that provide affordable healthcare to some of the poverty-ridden strata of society, released a report showcasing the sharp decline in the number of patients who dropped out from pediatric care. As one of the country’s premier cancer-care centres, the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai did not just approach a cost-effective method but also put effort into the nutritional and logistical support for young children.

A cumulative effort that aids young patients in effectively overcoming cancer is precisely what cancer-care centres like Tata Memorial signify. In light of the fifth International Childhood Cancer Day, the development of such services remains paramount in order to overcome such a critical illness quickly.