- This treatment is effective if the child has a solid tumor which is localized and hasn't begun to spread. Cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma are a part of the circulatory and lymphatic systems, both of which are located throughout the entire body, making surgery a difficult treatment option for children with these cancers. Other options may include chemotherapy and radiation.
- Bone marrow is a tissue responsible for producing blood cells and is found between certain bones in the body. If a child is inflicted with a cancer affecting the function of his blood cells, she may be a eligible for a bone marrow transplant. If successful, the new bone marrow allows healthy cells to grow and reproduce. This treatment method is nearly always accompanied with chemotherapy to destroy the the defective cells, preventing them from damaging the new blood marrow.
- Chemotherapy is method of treatment involving one or more drugs used to kill the cancer cells or stop them from dividing and reproducing. In children, it is generally used as a complementary treatment rather than the main form of treatment, and it is administered in one of three ways: intravenously (in the vein), orally or intrathecally (in the spinal fluid). After being administered, they travel through bloodstream in the body where the cancer has spread, destroying the cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy is most commonly used in treating childhood cancer. It emits high-energy waves to the specific area of the body where the cancer is located, destroying the cancer cells in that spot. In many cases, radiation therapy is used in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy.
