Many Kinds of “Cancer” — On International Childhood Cancer Day

Watching the news the other day, I noticed several reports about cancer.
One of them focused on International Childhood Cancer Day.

It reminded me not only of the statistics and medical progress we speak about today, but also of a memory from my own childhood—when I first heard a word I did not yet understand: “brain tumor.”

 

While watching the news on NHK, I noticed several topics related to cancer. One of them was International Childhood Cancer Day.

Childhood cancer refers to malignant tumors that occur in children under the age of 15. These include hematologic diseases such as leukemia, as well as solid tumors arising in the brain, adrenal glands, reproductive organs, and other sites. In Japan, approximately 2,000 children are diagnosed each year.

I still remember a classmate from my first year of elementary school. During recess, he suddenly developed a nosebleed in front of us. He was later diagnosed with a brain tumor and eventually passed away.

It was the first time I heard the word “no-shuyo”—brain tumor. At the time, I had no real understanding of what it meant.

International Childhood Cancer Day aims to raise public awareness about childhood cancer.

Adults, to some extent, can seek medical care on their own and participate in decisions about treatment. Children cannot. After onset, they can do nothing by themselves. Some are too young even to understand their illness. That is why the burden on parents is so heavy, and why society as a whole must support both patients and their families.

I have spent decades working as a pediatric pathologist.

Today, I understand that the word I once heard as “no-shuyo” meant “brain tumor,” and that this single term encompasses many different types of neoplasms.

Like adult cancers, pediatric cancers are remarkably diverse. Yet each individual tumor type is rare. Some are so uncommon that one might encounter them only once in a lifetime.

Diversity and rarity coexist—an almost paradoxical world.

Pediatric oncologists must study continuously in order to tailor treatment to each individual case. Watching their dedication, I cannot help but feel deep respect.

Children should live longer than adults. Protecting that time is, I believe, our responsibility as adults.

Meanwhile, according to a summary released by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, five-year survival rates for patients diagnosed with cancer in 2018 have improved for pancreatic cancer, multiple myeloma, and lung cancer among those aged 15 and older.

Pancreatic cancer, in particular, remains one of the most aggressive malignancies. A friend of mine, the same age as I am, lost his life to it. Despite therapeutic advances, cancer remains a serious and deeply personal disease.

Cancer is a condition in which part of one’s own body chooses an independent path of growth. It is difficult to prevent entirely.

Traditionally, surgical removal has been the primary approach. Today, however, targeted therapies and immunotherapies are increasingly capable of attacking tumors at the molecular level.

Alongside rapid advances in artificial intelligence, both diagnosis and treatment will likely change dramatically in the years ahead.

As pediatric pathologists, we too must make use of AI-assisted diagnostics and continue seeking better, more clinically meaningful diagnoses that truly benefit patients.