Mom makes plea for support of research into child cancers
By Peter EppWednesday September 29, 2004
Chatham This Week - Susan McLellan says the incidence of cancer among children is rising in Ontario, but medical advancements are providing a measure of hope for children and their parents.
McLellan -- who is the mother of 11-year-old Myles McLellan, a Chatham boy diagnosed in 2002 with a brain tumour -- says the survival rate for children with cancer is nearly 70 per cent, yet too many are still not able to survive.
"As the treatment of children with cancer has grown more complex and more successful, the course of the illness has become both more chronic and more acute, leading to an enormous increase in demand from a health care system that's already strained," McLellan notes.
She says it's important that members of the community continue to support organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society, which has raised millions of dollars for cancer research. But the prevention of cancer-related illnesses should have as much emphasis, she adds.
McLellan made her comments on the occasion of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. She noted that about 400 new children are diagnosed with cancer every year in Ontario. Currently, about 2,500 children are in treatment.
The number of cases threatens to overwhelm the health system, she said.
"The number of new children diagnosed in pediatric oncology centres in Ontario has risen by 16 per cent since 1985. The rising incidence, shifting demographics, acuity and new treatment options are increasing the strain on an already overloaded system."
McLellan said from 1984 to 1996, chemotherapy admissions rose by 70 per cent, while out-patient visits increased by 50 per cent.
She noted that childhood cancers are significantly different from adult cancers. While adults typically develop carcinomas, childhood cancers most often consist of leukemia, various tumors, lymphoma, neuroblastoma and muscle-related cancers.
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