Ewing's sarcoma
and treatments for childhood cancer
What are the treatments for Ewing's
sarcoma? Childhood cancer patients with Ewing's sarcoma
receive treatment through a combination of cancer-fighting drugs (chemotherapy)
as well as surgery or radiation. Even when the tumor is detected
at a very small size, there may be evidence of microscopic spread.
For this reason, childhood cancer and Ewing's sarcoma require treatment to the entire
body. This treatment includes chemotherapy which should destroy
pediatric cancer cells which have spread to the rest of the
body, and to shrink the main mass of tumor cells.
It is important for childhood cancer and Ewing's sarcoma patients to be evaluated for treatment
by a radiologist, hemo-therapist, pathologist, surgeon, or orthopedic
oncologist, and radiation oncologist as soon as possible. The
surgeon or orthopedic oncologist performing the surgery should
be involved during the biopsy so that the incision can be placed
in an acceptable location. This is especially important if the
lesion can be totally excised or if a limb salvage procedure
will be attempted. The radiation oncologist and pathologist
should be consulted prior to biopsy/surgery in order to verify
that the incision will not compromise the radiation port and
so that multiple types of tissue samples are obtained. Diagnostic
scans (chest x-ray, chest computed tomography [CT], magnetic
resonance imaging [MRI], or CT of the primary) should be performed
prior to any procedure that requires anesthesia because anesthesia-induced
abnormalities in the chest may be difficult to assess. Other
studies such as a bone scan and bone marrow biopsy may be obtained
preoperatively too.
In about 80 percent of Ewing's sarcoma
cases involving an arm or leg, the limb can be saved, if there
was no failure to diagnose this childhood cancer disease.
Significant limb-saving techniques include bone grafts, rotation-plasty,
and prosthetic implants. Childhood cancer patients may also
participate in clinical trials. Clinical trials for children
and adolescents with cancer are generally designed to compare
potentially better therapy with therapy that is currently accepted
as standard. Most of the progress made in identifying curative
therapies for childhood cancers has been achieved through clinical
trials.
More facts about childhood cancer care and Ewing's sarcoma treatment:
After a timely and proper diagnosis, the second critical component
to being cured is getting Ewing's sarcoma treatments that do not greatly impact
the quality of life. Chemo drugs for childhood cancer patients
cause the usual outwardly visible side effects such as hair
loss and nausea. More serious side effects are listed on the
drug information sheet of each chemotherapy drug. Parents are
urged to read these thoroughly and focus on the immediate threads
and potentially dangerous side effects that are a direct result
of the pediatric cancer treatments.
Appropriate chemotherapy will rapidly wipe out
growing bone marrow cells as well as the Ewing's sarcoma
cancerous cells. Therefore, red blood cells, good white blood
cells, and platelets are not formed. Without red blood cells,
children get tired and weak. A transfusion of red blood cells
is a solution. Without platelets, children will be unable to
stop bleeding, if cut. A platelet transfusion is another transfusion.
White blood cells are monitored throughout the
treatment. Without the right kind of white blood cells, patients
are unable to fight off an infection. The amount of white blood
cells are measured. If the white bloods range between 500-1000,
the child teeters in the danger zone. If the white blood cells
are under 500, the child must avoid crowded places.
Infections develop rapidly in pediatric cancer
patients. If a child has a fever of 101, the clinic must immediately
be notified. Most hospitals have an oncologist on call 24 hours
a day to help the parents.
Infections can be fungal, bacterial, or viral.
Fungal infections can be particularly nasty for pediatric cancer
patients. Sometimes infections are caused by the medi-port lines;
sometimes there is a fever; and sometimes doctors cannot find
the cause of an infection.
