Leukemia has been the top illness that takes the lives of young children. Based on a new study, however, brain cancer has now ranked first as to the deadliest childhood cancer.
Government statisticians reported the latest findings recently as per the tallies made from a review of death certificates of children spanning 15 years. According to WSPA, Sally Curtin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that most people usually think of leukemia when they associate it with childhood cancer but this is now changing.
Cancer is the top four leading causes of death in children and in the latest data, 534 deaths due to brain cancer were recorded while 445 were recorded under leukemia deaths. Accordingly, there are still more new cases of leukemia yearly and new cases of brain cancers. The decline of the deaths from leukemia is said to be due to the improved leukemia treatments and the fact that it is easier to treat as opposed to brain cancer. The increasing number of deaths due to brain cancer, on the other hand, is because of the lack of progress on finding a cure for the aforementioned cancer.
Curtin added, "Some types of leukemia that a generation ago were almost universally fatal are now almost universally treatable." The trend is said to be similar to cases concerning adults, as per the American Cancer Society.
Brain cancer researchers are reportedly focusing on utilizing molecular analysis and genome sequencing in order to determine what causes the abnormal tumors to grow. The researchers are also now developing new medicines targeting cancer molecules, the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention reports.
Brain cancer is much more difficult to cure since the brain is protected by a barrier that helps keep dangerous chemicals from getting to the tissues of the brain. One way to remove brain tumor is via surgery and sometimes it is impossible to successfully do such procedure since it depends where the tumor is located. If a patient with brain cancer undergoes radiation treatment, it could lead to the damaging of the child's brain.
The other causes of death not related to cancer are accidents, suicide, and murder.
