Accept fact and treat children with cancer fast, parents urged

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Parents often refuse to accept the possibility their child has cancer and this denial often leads to late detection of the disease.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said childhood cancer differed from that suffered by adults because of the strong “emotional” component.
“There is the perception that children should not get cancer and often doctors will tell you that parents are in a state of denial,” he said in a recent interview.
“They cannot accept the diagnosis. So, the end result is if further investigation is required the parents can be in denial and be very protective. They will not subject the child to further investigation.”
This, he said contributed to the cancer being detected at a later rather than an early stage. The prognosis for cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma is good if discovered and treated early.
There are about 1,200 childhood cancers detected in Malaysia every year. Leukaemia and lymphoma account for about half of all childhood cancers in the country.
Parents also feared treatment where surgery or chemotherapy was required. “They cast doubt on the procedure and chemotherapy,” he said.
He said side effects – weight and appetite loss, lethargy and diarrhoea – could frighten parents and some “may unilaterally decide to stop the treatment because of this fear.”
When children’s teeth bleed when they brush, it should “trigger an alarm” for parents to take them for a check up.
Six government hospitals provide oncology service including in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Penang, Ipoh and Kuching. Two private hospitals – Subang Jaya Medical Centre and Selangor Medical Centre – and university hospitals like Universiti Malaya Medical Centre have similar services.
There are only 19 paediatric oncologists in the country – eight are in public service, nine in university hospitals and two in the private sector. A further six doctors are currently undergoing training.
Dr Chua said there were plans to start up day-care centres where patients arrived for treatment and returned home after they were stabilised on the same day.
Treatment at the public hospitals ranges between RM1,000 and 2,000 while in the private sector, the cost can go up to RM60,000.
Dr Chua said aid could be given to those eligible under the ministry’s Medical Aid Fund.