by Edmund K

Created on: April 29, 2008   Last Updated: November 04, 2008

To talk to a child with cancer, one must approach the topic openly, informatively, and with sensitivity. Cancer is often a chronic medical condition, and by understanding the causes and effects of cancer, children should be taught not to fear it. However, it is equally important that while cancer is a common medical condition, it is by no means a common disease among the general public.

To many children, cancer is a frightening and stressful condition, a disease for which in many cases there is no definitive cure. Current treatment options, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have considerable side effects which may appear very frightening to children, who often may believe that the side effects are caused by the cancer itself.

Thus it is of great importance to talk to children about cancer; to give them the necessary information to allow them to understand what the disease entails, especially if they are related to or have come in contact with someone with cancer, both likely possibilities in this current age.

Cancer results when a group of cells ignore apoptotic signals (signals that trigger the cell to die) and continue to grow unchecked. As they continue to grow, they secrete chemical factors to increase blood flow to the cancerous tissue, as well as proliferative chemicals to allow them to take up more nutrients and grow more quickly than their counterparts.

It is for this same reason that they are receptive to chemotherapeutic and radio therapeutic measures, as cancer cells take up far more radiation and chemicals due to their fast growth rate compared to normal healthy cells. Thus while all cells are affected negatively by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, cancer cells, by dint of their uncontrolled growth, are more vulnerable to the treatment and thus sustain more cellular damage than their healthy counterparts.

There are many theories regarding cancer development, most involving a combination between genetic and environmental factors. Children must be informed that cancer strikes more often in the older population, and that they have little to worry about developing a cancer themselves.

It is very difficult for many people to talk to children about cancer, but in order to prevent them from becoming unnecessarily fearful of the disease, one must approach the topic calmly and with restraint. Point out the causes of cancer, the therapies and their side effects, and conclude with the fact that cancers have wildly different prognoses. A skin cancer detected early, for example, will have a largely different prognosis than a metastatic melanoma, which itself will have a different prognosis than a cancer of the lungs.

As such, it is important to approach the subject calmly, informatively, and with positive reassurance whenever necessary. Doing so will help to allay any fears a child may have concerning the disease, and will help the child in gaining a greater understanding of cancer and its sequelae.

Learn more about this author, Edmund K.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.