The experts made this remark Friday during a campaign to fight cancer among children, which was preceded by a walk from CHIC premises to the Car Free Zone.
The specialists said that everyone can get cancer regardless of their age; children or adults. However, children can fully recover from cancer if they are treated early.
Rwanda Children’s Cancer Relief (RCCR) Executive Director, Jean Claude Mutabazi said that often children inherit cancer from their parents while others acquire it because they have not been cared for early enough.
“Some cancers are triggered by the fact that someone in the family suffered from cancer before while others are caused by parents behavior. If you are pregnant and smoke or drink alcohol, the baby is at risk of getting cancer.”
He added that parents should be suspicious when their children develop ulcers or bleed from the nose.
Dr. Cyprien Shyirambere, a pediatrician and director of the Cancer department at Butaro Hospital, said that there are many types of cancers affecting children but the most common here in Rwanda is cancer of the kidneys that usually affect children between 1 and 7 years. However, he noted that chances are high when childhood cancers are detected at an early stage because they can be treated successfully.
Cancer of the kidneys can to be successfully treated at 70%. That means that out of 10 children, 7 can be successfully and go back to school.”
He said.
He further reminded that children cancer is real and it doesn’t regard age, capacity and background, or diet.
Karen Bugingo who suffered from cancer when she was 19 years old says that she is now fully recovered. She appeals to parents to take their children to the hospital early enough because if she was not treated early, she wouldn’t have recovered.
US ambassador to Rwanda Peter Vrooman said that cancer should not divide people but its patients should be better cared for.
“We are related to cancer patients. That should not separate but unite us. For children, treatment seems to be difficult because they are more pain sensitive or medicines are expensive.” He said, adding that everyone should conduct a campaign to help them.
Karen Bugingo in collaboration with RCCR are fund-raising for 50 children suffering from cancer from Butaro hospital to who they will give health insurance and transport fares. There are no tangible figures of children who die of cancer in the country but in 2017, Butaro hospital recorded about 500 children who were successfully treated for the cancer of kidneys.
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