Early Detection is the Key to Cure Children's Kidney Cancer, with a 90 Percent Chance of Success

Illustration of kidney cancer in children. (Freepik)

JAKARTA - Early detection is an important key in treating cancer in children. By recognizing symptoms from the start, the chances of treatment success can increase significantly.

The role of parents in paying attention to changes in the child's body condition is very important so that the disease can be detected faster and treated properly.

The subspecialist pediatric hematologist-oncologist from Dr. Hasan Sadikin Bandung Hospital, Nur Melani, said that the chance of curing kidney cancer in children can reach around 80-90 percent if the disease is detected in the early stage and treated with appropriate therapy.

"So if from theory or statistics it says that 80-90 percent of kidney cancer or kidney cancer can be cured, but in reality only 30 percent, even that has not been cut by 50 percent of stopping treatment," said Nur in a discussion held by the Indonesian Children's Doctors Association (IDAI) online in Jakarta, as quoted by ANTARA.

The IDAI Hemato Oncology Coordination Working Unit explained that kidney cancer in children, especially Wilms Tumor or nephroblastoma, generally cannot be prevented. This is because the exact cause is often unknown and often related to genetic factors or kidney development disorders from birth related to certain genetic syndromes.

However, early detection can still be done by paying attention to physical changes in children. Nur said one of the signs to watch out for is changes in the shape of the stomach.

In children under five years of age, parents need to pay attention if the child's stomach appears enlarged and feels hard when pressed. This condition is often mistaken for flatulence, although it can be a sign of masses in the kidneys.

In addition, other symptoms that may appear include increased blood pressure, the face appears pale or easily tired due to increased body metabolism due to tumor cell growth, decreased appetite, to vomiting due to the lump on the kidney pressing on the surrounding organs.

To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor will perform a series of examinations. The initial stage is usually through an ultrasound, and if there is a suspicion of a mass in the kidney, then proceed with imaging tests such as CT scans. Additional examinations such as blood and urine tests are also needed to see the possibility of complications.

"If it is possible to perform surgery first, then the surgical procedure is the initial action (treatment) and then it is examined again under a microscope, has there been a spread, what is the cell type, then the more accurate subsequent treatment is determined. If it is too large, there is an effort to shrink the tumor first by taking drugs or chemotherapy," said Nur.

He also highlighted the still many cases in Indonesia where parents delay examination because they deny the symptoms that appear. As a result, children are only taken to the hospital when the disease is in an advanced stage so that the chance of recovery is smaller.

In addition, the tiered referral process which takes time, the status of BPJS child membership which is not active, to the high number of treatment discontinuation - which reaches around 50 percent - is also a challenge in dealing with childhood cancer.

Nur appealed to parents to be more vigilant, especially if there is a history of genetic disorders, family members with many cases of cancer, exposure to radiation, certain chemicals, or certain infections.

"Because the key to dealing with childhood cancer is faster detection equals higher chances of recovery, if found early, treatment can be more effective, complications can be less, so the chances of recovery are greater, and that is the role of parents and society," said Nur.