Many children suffering from cancer, especially those living in districts, visit hospitals late into the disease, said oncologists and social workers who work closely with such children and their families.
Lack of awareness, lack of access to treatment and shortage of treatment centres in peripheral areas often result in delay in treatment, they said.
The earlier the disease is diagnosed and treatment started, the better the prognosis is, oncologists said.
“About 10 per cent of our patients from rural areas or small towns come during stage 1 and about 30 per cent in stage II. The rest come only in stage III and IV. Early diagnosis would mean better results. The delay increases the expenses, too,” said Arnab Gupta, director of Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre & Research Institute in Thakurpukur.
Gupta also attributed the delay to the fact that the families are often misguided and do not know the right place to go to.
“The physicians have to be oriented so they know that it could be cancer. Unless physicians are oriented to understand oncological diagnosis, they will not know what is to be done,” said Gupta.
Cankids Kidscan, a national society for childhood cancer, is working in association with the state government in some districts in Bengal to raise awareness about cancer in children and help them access treatment.
The society works with 115 cancer hospitals in the country and has trained ASHA workers in Birbhum and Nadia in identifying symptoms indicative of cancer.
“Our effort is to sensitise, educate and train at the primary and secondary level and equip them with information so that they not only understand the signs and symptoms but also know where to send them,” said Poonam Bagai, chairman, Cankids Kidscan.
The idea behind training ASHA workers is to raise awareness among the people and increase referrals amongst childhood cancer.
In March 2021, partnered by Bhel, the society launched Access2Care to provide medical assistance by way of diagnosis, drugs, medical supplies, prostheses, transplants and blood.
On September 20, 21 and 22, the society organised a car rally from the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital till Birbhum and Nadia with cancer survivor children and their parents.
Oncologists stressed the need for specialists to treat children with cancer.
“Those who are trained in paediatrics and specialise in cancer are required for treating childhood cancer. For the management of pediatric patients, the treatment protocol is different from that of adults. Often children cannot express or explain their discomfort or complaint and that is a challenge,” said surgical oncologist Gautam Mukhopadhyay.
The socio-economic condition and the lack of diagnostic set-up at peripheral centres also delays treatment.
The referral system is not that robust, says Prabhas Prasun Giri, associate professor of paediatrics at the Institute of Child Health.
“If the required arrangement is not there at a health centre, the child is referred to a hospital in Kolkata by writing out on a piece of paper. But the parents have to travel to the city, check the availability of beds, find out the department and do the running around in a place which is new to them before bringing their child for treatment or admission,” said Giri.
Gupta said the delays often increased the treatment expenses because the cancer would by then reached an advanced stage.