In Holguin, protocol for tumor diagnosis in children
- Written by Lourdes Pichs Rodríguez
- Published in Health
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Based on the morbidity and mortality from abdominal tumors in children, Dr. Yurieenk Cordoves Almaguer, a specialist in pediatric surgery, conceived a protocol to investigate abdominal tumors in pediatric age.
After several years of studies in the Regional Center for Oncopediatrics based at the Octavio de la Concepción de la Pedraja children's hospital in Holguin, Dr. Cordoves was given the task of finding how to reverse this health problem, which represents the 20 percent of all types of cancer that affect children in Cuba.
"This will allow performing programmed abdominal ultrasound to patients, aimed at the early diagnosis of this malignant disease in minors in an asymptomatic stage," she explained.
The specialist added that patients with abdominal tumors usually arrive at the hospital with advanced stages of the disease or with metastases.
"Undoubtedly, this makes the treatment and survival of the patient more complex, as cancer in children progresses rapidly and affects several organs in a short time."
She added that in Holguin the three most frequent abdominal tumors are Neuroblastoma, Wilms Tumor and NH Lymphoma, with an incidence of 32 cases in children under 19 in recent years.
According to the specialist, her protocol can be extended throughout the country from primary health care (PHC) to the polyclinics where there are ultrasound equipment, with which it is feasible to make an early diagnosis and undertake a timely and less prolonged treatment, without a high economic cost and providing more quality of life to the patient.
“We want to implement the research in a first group that includes children under one year of age, and then from one year to 18 years old, when the pediatric age ends and always scheduling this study in a period of at least every six months. ”
Prior to the implementation of the Protocol, the doctor will teach a postgraduate course, aimed at training PHC specialists about the different types of abdominal tumors in pediatric age, how they are identified, on how to detect them and what findings can be found in the ultrasound.
Cordoves said that “in developed countries research is carried out through complementary tests such as tumor markers, which are very expensive and not available in Cuba to apply to the entire child population; however, this diagnostic means that is not harmful to health or causes risks can be used to diagnose early abdominal tumors.”