Childhood cancers are amongst the cruellest of health conditions. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, every September in the UK, aims to draw attention to the nature of this ongoing health scourge. This is done in hope it may one day be a thing of the past.

Children with Cancer UK is the leading UK childhood cancer charity. It points out that childhood and adult cancers are generally differentiated by certain factors. For example, several types of cancer are largely unique to children. Meanwhile, some of the cancers which are most common in adults, e.g. breast, stomach, and lung, are very rare in children.

What Causes Cancer in Children?

As you would expect, this question has been the focus of much attention over the years. In common with cancer in adults, it seems that there are various causes. It is well known that most types of cancer become more common as we get older.

This because the changes which make a cell become cancerous generally develop over extended timeframes. A number of changes to the genes within a cell must take place. Those changes can happen by accident when the cell is dividing. Alternatively, they can happen because the cell has been damaged by carcinogens. When the cell divides, the genetic damage caused by carcinogens is passed on to the next generation of cells via cell division.

The time available for those genetic mistakes to occur increases with age. Children – and especially infants – have had little time to acquire these mistakes. This means that many causes of childhood cancer are different to those for cancer in adults.

Example Childhood Cancer Causes

• Genes: Some childhood cancers are heavily linked to inherited faulty genes. Retinoblastoma is an example of a childhood cancer linked to that. Some others, e.g. childhood leukaemia, are linked to certain genetic mutations that take place during pregnancy.
• Radiation: Besides the increased risk of cell damage due to radiation exposure in the vicinity of nuclear disaster areas, such as Chernobyl, there is also risk associated with more everyday exposure. For instance, magnetic fields associated with electricity generation, and, before the practice was largely discontinued, MRI scans for pregnant women, are linked to childhood cancer.
• Chemicals: Some chemicals found in air pollution, e.g. benzene in car exhausts, are known to be carcinogenic.

Obviously, on account of being external, some of these risk factors – particularly chemical exposure – are easier to tackle than, say, genetic ones.

Curing Childhood Cancer

As with cancer generally, huge efforts are being made, not just in the field of cure, but also in terms of prevention, to end this cruel set of diseases. In Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, is worth noting two major trends in childhood cancer prevention and cure.

Firstly, the incidence of childhood cancer has increased throughout the second half of the twentieth century. This rate continues to increase today. Chemical pollution from accelerated industrialisation, including in agriculture, since the end of WWII, is one factor heavily implied by the research of Children with Cancer UK. Survival rates have improved with new treatments, although the pace of improvement is now slowing.

The Importance of Prevention

So, curative measures have shown major advances in regards to treating childhood (and other) cancers. However, based on the statistics, childhood cancer prevention efforts have lagged far behind. Across the board, better prevention initiatives are desperately needed. Improved understanding of the causes of childhood cancer is the sticking point in the prospect of the next big leap forward against this illness. For an interesting and illuminating example of where things are at in causal research, this Children with Cancer UK blog is recommended.

Thank you for reading.