PESHAWAR: Born with a dream to become doctor to serve ailing humanity, Janas Khan, a poor patient of Pabbi Nowshera was unaware that he would leave this mortal world in very young age due to blood cancer.
“My son Janas Khan was complaining about fever, loss weight and eyes swelling for several days. I took him to nearby hospital where his medical tests were conducted and diagnosed with 3rd stage of blood cancer,” said Nusrat Bibi, mother of the victim while talking to APP.
Facing the disease with patience, Janas’s mother said that her son faced the unbearable pain with great courage and determination before leaving for eternal abode at the age of 18.
“Janas Khan has a great desire to become doctor and provide free of cost treatment to cancer patients but his dreams was snatched by blood cancer caused by blood disorder apparently due to hereditary reasons,” she said.
She said the killer disease had tarnished his as well as my dreams and urged people to conduct blood screening tests before marriages so that no child and mother can pass through such unbearable pain.
Dr Riaz Khan, senior children oncologist at Govt Hospital Pabbi Nowshera said that nearly 15 percent children become victims of blood cancer owing to hereditary blood disorder.
Medically known as ‘Leukemia’, he said blood cancer can affect people of all ages but most of its victims were children under 18 years,” he said, adding the fatal ailment first destroys blood cells and later key organs that prove fatal in last stages of its detection.
He said annually 8,000 to 10,000 children become its victims in Pakistan with nearly 15 percent cases related to genetics and hereditary while 85 percent due to other reasons.
He said that most cases of blood cancer were diagnosed as acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), adding the latter was more fatal than the former. Dr Riaz said AML normally affects small children who have a family’s history.
He said different organs including heart, liver and kidneys could be damaged in case of delay of treatment, adding the affected organs were being treated first before start of chemotherapy.
Terming blood cancer a curable disease, Dr Riaz Khan said that 85 percent of patients could be cured if the fatal disease was detected and treated at an early stage.
September was observed as ‘Blood Cancer and Childhood Awareness Month’ in the world including Pakistan in which information about its causes, treatment and prevention were disseminated through different stakeholders and communication channels to eradicate it.
Dr Riaz advised parents to bring their children to nearest hospitals and specialist oncologists in case of constant fever, discharge of bleeding from nose and mouth or any other part of the body, loss of weight, pain and change of skin colour. He said blood count tests and bone-marrow biopsy and genetic tests were necessary for diagnoses.
He said cooperation of families was imperative to bring their patients to normal life and make them useful citizens of the society. The senior oncologist recommended blood screening tests before marriages and birth of children for early diagnosis and treatment.
