Pediatric Hematology & Oncology

Pediatric Hematology & Oncology

Pediatric hematology and oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of children with broad array of blood disorders including both cancerous and non-cancerous conditions. Blood disorders are common in children. They can affect the child’s quality-of-life and also can be life-threatening.

What are pediatric blood disorders?

Pediatric
blood disorders represents a wide array of blood disorders typically seen in
infants, children, and adolescents. Mostly blood disorders are caused by
another condition and treating that underlying condition can cure the blood
disease.

Most common types of blood disorders seen
in children include:

• Anemia such as Iron Deficiency Anemia
  (caused by lack of iron in your child’s diet), Sickle cell disease (A group of
  disorders that cause red blood cells to become misshapen and break down), and
  Aplastic Anemia (a condition in which bone marrow doesn’t make enough blood
  cells)
• Bleeding disorders such as Haemophilia
  (excessive bleeding occurs after any injury or damage) and Von Willebrand’s
  disease (bleeding disorder caused by low levels of clotting protein in the
  blood),
• Thalassemia (blood disorder involving
  lower-than-normal amounts of an oxygen-carrying protein)
• Blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma,
  and myeloma

What are different types of
pediatric solid tumours ?

They
include following:

• Neuroblastoma.
• Wilms tumor.
• Rhabdomyosarcoma.
• Brain and spinal cord tumors
• Hepatoblastoma
• Retinoblastoma.
• Bone cancer (including osteosarcoma and ewing
  sarcoma)
• Germ cell
  tumour

What are the signs of blood disorders
in children?

Symptoms vary
depending on the type of blood disorder. However, common signs and symptoms of blood disorders which can be
seen include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Dizziness
• Unusual bleeding
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
• Bone discomfort
• Slow growth

What are the causes
of pediatric blood disorders?

Pediatric blood disorders can be inherited and caused by genetic mutations.
Having a family history of blood disorders such as blood cancers, thalassemia,
or sickle cell disease can put your child at-risk. Some disorders can be a
result of other diseases, medications, or lack of nutrients in your child’s
diet.

How can we treat pediatric blood disorders?

The treatment of blood disorders is determined by the type of disorder, symptoms, underlying cause, and the overall health of the child.

Treating Anemia: Vitamin and nutritional treatments, drugs that stimulate red blood cell count, and antibodies are possible treatments for anemia. Blood transfusions may be needed in extreme cases to quickly restore red blood cells. Aplastic anemia may need a bone marrow transplant.

Treating Bleeding Disorders: Treatment depends on the cause of bleeding. In general, blood transfusions of platelets or clotting factors are given to prevent bleeding.

Treating Clotting Disorders: Anticoagulants or blood thinners and thrombolytics are used to treat clotting disorders. They block the formation and growth of blood clots or break-down the existing clots.

Treating Blood Cancer: Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and biologics may be used to treat blood disorders. In some cases, a bone marrow transplant or a stem cell transplant is an option.

Inputs by Dr. Vipin Khandelwal, Consultant, Pediatric Haemato-oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Physician