“Something that did not exist every three days ago, today it can be a life threat to life”

Prof. dr hab. Jan Styczyński, a national consultant in the field of oncology and pediatric hematology and head of the Department of Pediatrics of Hematology and Oncology of the University Hospital No. 1 in Bydgoszcz, talked on TVN24 on Sunday about cancer that affects the youngest. – The most common cancers in children are leukemia, lymphomas and brain tumors. This is a completely different distribution than in adults. I always say – children's oncology is something other than adult oncology – he said.

– Many childhood diseases result from what children will inherit in the genes and what predispositions they have – explained the professor. – In children, there are practically no such cancer as lung cancer, stomach cancer, thoracic cancer – he added. He also stated that “children are able to withstand very intensive treatment than adults, and in effect we have much better treatment results.”

– The final effect of the child's treatment consists of a very early diagnosis, then a precise diagnosis, which is made in the hospital and proper treatment – pointed out the guest of TVN24.

In his opinion, it is difficult to determine why many children are diagnosed late. – I think that the number one condition is the awareness of society, awareness of families, awareness of schools, kindergartens, nurseries, the awareness of all those people who work with children to pay attention early to the symptoms that say that something is wrong and the symptoms Early cancers are usually very non -characteristic and saying nothing – he assessed.

To the question, what should be noted, he told about the set of symptoms created from the letters in the word “Oncology” created by the environment. – It is like swelling, tumor, n like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, k like bleeding, hemorrhagic changes, like weakness, L leukokoria, i.e. a change in the color of the pupil, like lowering body weight, as as a fever, and how Infection, and like alarming pain – he explained. He noted that “if there is more than one of these symptoms, it may be an early sign of cancer.”

The professor also referred to research made available by the Foundation for Helping Children with Cancer. They show that only 10 percent of children only have a diagnosis in the first or second degree, and this percentage for Western European countries is over 25 percent. Styczyński noted that every action, every conversation, every meeting where we talk about children's cancers, because it improves awareness on this topic is important. He mentioned, among others, September, which is a month of oncological awareness and the final of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.

– It seems that such a secondary main goal was that the awareness of children's oncology is improving, that we are talking about it, that we are talking about it. We have to talk about it, because the number of children in Poland is decreasing. 30 years ago there were 10 million children, at the moment there are 7 million children and every child is our future – he said.

He also mentioned the differences between adult and children's cancers. As the main one, he mentioned how quickly the cancer is developing. – In simplified terms, children grow quickly in relation to adults and just as children's cancers. The dynamics of children's cancer can be surprising even for doctors. There are such children's cancers that can double their volume during one day. This means that something that did not exist at all three days ago, today it can be a life -threatening state. Of course, not all cancers are such, but there are several, so fast growing – he explained.

Statistics regarding the cure of children's cancer are good news. – Of course, oncology is the brutal field that I can never say that something will be 100 percent. But in children's oncology, cure in Poland is practically better than the European average, and in children's leukemia we have strongly crossed it. And these are data from a few years ago, and we have even better and we have even better. In other words, children with cancer have a chance to cure over 80 percent. I think it is just space in adults. However, in the case of lymphoblastic leukemia, which is the most common childhood cancer, this cure reaches 90 percent. And this is the only such cancer in Poland, where the European Union Health Commission said that the cure in Poland is better than the European average – said the professor.

He also noted that “a child, whether he is treated in Warsaw, whether in Bydgoszcz, Munich, Rome or Vienna, is just as treated.” – We have the same rules when it comes to monitoring and decision -making points in treatment and this translates into success in treatment. Because this success in treatment is not a spectacular one medicine, but these are many factors from diagnosis to treatment and monitoring – he added.