Early Diagnosis: Give Cure a Chance

Children´s Cancer Institute invests in Early Diagnosis Program

With an eye toward the future and dreaming in increasing cure rates for children and adolescents, the institute has developed the Children and Youth Cancer Awareness Project and its significance in Early Diagnosis, all assisted by ICI staff.

In addition to investing in clinical and molecular research and in search of new drugs for the treatment of infant-juvenile cancer, we have also chosen to work on the awareness and importance in early diagnosis. We work on two objectives: first to provide early diagnosis through training professionals for primary care learning how to identify correctly signs and symptoms of cancer, second making the population aware of the importance of early diagnosis teaching them that small signs and symptoms can make all the difference to save a child´s life.

The infant-juvenile cancer is the second leading cause of death in brazil as well as in most of developed or developing countries only surpassed by external causes which are mainly due to the lack of information given by the parents to doctors describing what happened to their child, thus for a better comprehension of facts.

In addition, other factors contribute to make this happen, as families fear cancer diagnosis. The other reason is that symptoms of cancer in childhood are also common to other non-oncological diseases. The program´s goal is to instruct professionals from Basic Health Units (BHU) and health Strategy (ESF) to be able to identify early need for treatment referring these cases to specialized centers for sharing in multi-disciplinary teams focusing in early diagnosis.

All this work carried out thanks to the partnership with the Children´s Cancer Institute and the Ronald McDonalds Institute with the support of national institute of Cancer (INCA). The Ronald McDonalds Institute conceived the project, considering the importance of the Cancer diagnosis scenario for children and adolescents. In August 2013 after a series of assessments and qualifications, ICI embraced this cause.

Partnerships such as these and added efforts allow the Children´s Cancer Institute to continue growing and making a difference in the treatment of children and adolescents who roam the corridors of our institution. Every child has a dream and the work of the ICI is to help them to make these dreams come true.