Stand Up Against Cancer

INDONESIA AND CANCER As one of the deadliest diseases in the world, cancer has so far been a “final verdict” for those unfortunately living with it. According to the data released by World Health Organization (WHO), in 2012, there were 14 million new cases of cancer around the globe and 8.2 million lost their fights against it. Indonesia Health Ministry has predicted that the number will grow into 22 million in two decades. Regardless of the age, anyone can have cancer, young and old. In Indonesia alone, tens of thousands of children have been diagnosed with cancer and by July 2016, approximately 650 of them living under the poverty line in Jakarta. According to current research by Dharmais Hospital, roughly 70 percent of Indonesian kids are suffering from leukemia. HOW WE CAN TELL IF IT IS CANCER As early symptoms, a leukemia sufferer first develop fever followed by bleeding of the gums or red spots visible on the skin—ironically the parents often mistake it for a bloody fever as it is a common illness given the country’s tropical climate. Therefore, the kids fail to get proper medical treatment and by the time they find out it is cancer, it is already too late. The lymph glands in the neck or liver will also get swollen, leading to the growing of one or more lumps on the body. Kids with leukemia tend to have big stomach too, and, if the bleeding and the lumps persist for a month or more, the parents should be cautious. Meanwhile, the symptoms of cancer generally include unreasonable body weight loss, the change of skin color, lumps suddenly showing up on certain parts of body, hardly stop bleeding when wounded. CAUSES Cancer, in general, is a multifactorial ailment, meaning there are various factors contributing to it.

TREATMENTS There are five methods to cure cancer: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND FAMILY FROM CANCERS You can follow these easy steps to keep your children healthy and cancer-free: