Keep children away from junk food: Pediatric Oncologist

Bhubaneswar, Feb 19: Around four lakh children across the world are detected with cancer every year of which India accounts for about 12 per cent, Dr. Saroj Panda, Pediatric Oncologist at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here said on Friday. “Approximately 700 children who had been brought to IMS and SUM Hospital for treatment of their illnesses during the last five years had been found to be suffering from cancer. Of them, 350 kids had recovered so far following treatment,” Dr. Panda said while addressing a program organised in observance of the International Childhood Cancer Day at the hospital on Friday. The International Childhood Cancer Day is observed across the world on February 15 every year. Of all cancer patients worldwide, 95 per cent were adults while the rest five per cent of cases were children, he said adding in most cases the disease found in infants were caused due to genetic factors. “However, early diagnosis and good treatment can help the child defeat cancer,” he said. Most of the cancers found in children were leukemia, tumours in the brain, kidney or liver as also bone sarcoma, Dr. Panda said while advising parents to make sure that their child lived a healthy life, maintained the correct body weight, did regular exercise and ate lot of green vegetables and fruits. “It was important to ensure that children stayed away from junk food,” he said. Prof. Pusparaj Samantasinhar, Medical Superintendent of IMS and SUM Hospital, Head of the Pediatrics department, Prof. Mamata Devi Mohanty, Prof. Mrutyunjay Das of Pediatrics department, Dr. Soumya Surath Panda of Medical Oncology department and Dr. Nirmal Pradhan of Pediatric Oncology department were present. Around forty cancer-afflicted children and their parents attended the program in which magician Jiban Das and actor Prasenjit Das entertained them.