September is “national awareness month” for several types of cancers, including
childhood, blood and ovarian cancers. Designating days or months to bring awareness surrounding different types of this disease that affects so many offers us an opportunity to learn about the warning signs, symptoms and facts.
To help with this, we’ve compiled the below cheat sheet, which we hope you’ll also share with friends and family:
Childhood cancer can be difficult to predict, especially when children are unable to communicate what’s wrong. The Pediatric Oncology Resource Center provided this great acronym (CHILD CANCER) for symptoms that could be an indication of cancer:
Continued, unexplained weight loss
Headaches, often with early morning vomiting
Increased swelling or persistent pain in the bones, joints, back, or legs
Lump or mass, especially in the abdomen, neck, chest, pelvis, or armpits
Development of excessive bruising, bleeding, or rash
Constant, frequent, or persistent infections
A whitish color behind the pupil
Nausea that persists or vomiting without nausea
Constant fatigue or noticeable paleness
Eye or vision changes that occur suddenly and persist
Recurring or persistent fevers of unknown origin
And here are some important facts to help educate you about blood cancer and ovarian cancer. As most of you know, Joe is a survivor of a blood cancer, non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s lymphoma.
• Blood cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States
• Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma are the most common forms of blood cancer
• There are over 1 million adults in the U.S. currently living with blood cancer
• Risk of Myeloma increases with age; most cases occur in individuals over the age of 67
• Leukemia accounts for one-third of all childhood cancers
• Around one in every 60 women in the United States will develop ovarian cancer.
• Most women are diagnosed after age 60
• Ovarian cancer accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system
• Doctors recommend limiting screening unless there is high risk. Sometimes screening can cause more damage than good.
• The rate at which women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer has decreased over the past 20 years. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 22,000 will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year.
We hope this information helps spread awareness, and in turn, helps (Up)Beat this disease by promoting screening and prevention, as well as fundraising support for research and for families, like the Foundation’s programming provides. Thank you for constantly supporting the Foundation and our work!