How can babies be born with cancer

But, it can cause glandular fever infectious mononucleosis in teenagers and young adults. Most people get infected with EBV as a child and stay infected for life without ever experiencing any symptoms. Because of how common it is, there is nothing you can do to prevent you, or your child, coming into contact with EBV at the moment.

Cancer treatment can also include radiotherapy. It uses a type of radiation called ionising radiation. Children who have radiotherapy for cancer have a slightly greater risk of developing another type of cancer later on.

But the risk is small compared to the risk to their health if the original cancer was not treated with radiotherapy. Radon gas is a natural radioactive gas and it is a type of ionising radiation. It is found in the air at a low level outdoors, but it can sometimes build up to high concentrations indoors.

Because it is a natural gas, it is difficult for us to control our exposure to it. Overall, studies so far have only suggested that there might be a weak link between indoor levels of radon gas and risk of childhood leukaemia. Past treatment with chemotherapy can increase the risk of cancers such as acute leukaemia. But this is often many years later in children and adults. Coping with cancer can be difficult. There is help and support available.

Find out about the emotional, physical and practical effects of cancer and how to manage them. Survival depends on many different factors. These triangular glands sit on top of the kidneys and make hormones that control heart rate, blood pressure, and other important body functions.

Neuroblastoma also can start in other areas of the body with clusters of nerve cells, like in the belly, chest, or neck. The cancer can spread through the blood and start growing metastasize in other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, bones, lungs, and liver.

Almost all cases of neuroblastoma happen in infants and children younger than 5 years old. The signs of neuroblastoma can be different depending on where the disease began, how much the cancer has grown, and if has spread to other parts of the body. Because these early signs can develop slowly and be similar to symptoms of other common childhood illnesses, neuroblastoma can be hard to diagnose.

If the growing tumor presses on nearby tissues or the cancer spreads to other areas, different symptoms can show up. In young children, neuroblastoma often is discovered when a parent or doctor feels an unusual lump or mass somewhere in the child's body — most often in the belly, though tumors also can be in the neck, chest, and elsewhere. Neuroblastoma happens when neuroblasts grow and divide out of control instead of developing into nerve cells.

Experts believe that a defect in the genes of a neuroblast lets it divide like this. Rarely, the tendency to get this type of cancer can be passed from a parent to a child. If they suspect neuroblastoma, doctors will order tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other causes of symptoms.

These tests may include:. If the test results show it is neuroblastoma, doctors classify the disease as low-risk, intermediate-risk, or high-risk.

This is called staging. The doctor also will order an MIBG scan. In this test, a low-dose radioactive material is attached to a molecule MIBG , then injected into the child.

Neuroblastoma cells will absorb the MIBG. During the scan, doctors can see where the cancer cells are in the body. Pregnancy can also sometimes reveal cancer. For example, a Pap test done as a part of standard pregnancy care can find cervical cancer, or an ultrasound done during pregnancy can find ovarian cancer. Some of the tests doctors use to find cancer are safe during pregnancy and for the fetus. Others could possibly be harmful. Always talk with your health care team about each recommended test and let the testing staff know you are pregnant.

Common tests used in cancer diagnosis include:. Research shows that the level of radiation in diagnostic x-rays is too low to harm the fetus. When possible, a shield is used to cover the abdomen during x-rays.

CT scans are like x-rays but are much more exact because they use more radiation. They can find cancer or show the spread of cancer. CT scans of the head and chest are usually safe during pregnancy. This is because they do not expose the fetus to direct radiation. When possible, a shield should be used to cover a pregnant woman's abdomen during all CT scans. CT scans of the abdomen or pelvis should only be done if there is no other option.

Talk with your health care team about the need for this scan and any risks. Other tests. Magnetic resonance imaging MRI , ultrasound , and a biopsy are usually safe during pregnancy. Planning cancer treatment during pregnancy requires a multidisciplinary team of different types of medical and health care providers working together.

This includes cancer doctors called oncologists and high-risk obstetricians. An obstetrician, sometimes called an OB, is a doctor who cares for women during and after pregnancy. Your cancer doctors and obstetricians will review and compare the best treatment options for you and any possible risks. This will involve looking at a number of factors. The stage of your pregnancy and the type, size, and stage of the cancer are important.

Your doctors will also talk with you about your preferences as you make cancer treatment decisions. Throughout treatment, they will closely monitor you to make sure the baby is healthy. Sometimes doctors may recommend delaying or avoiding certain treatments during pregnancy. For example:. During the first 3 months of pregnancy, some cancer treatments are more likely to harm a fetus.

So, your doctors may recommend delaying treatment until the second or third trimester. Some treatments can harm the fetus at any time during pregnancy. Doctors try to avoid using these treatments until after the baby is born. For example, radiation therapy is a powerful treatment that uses high-energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells.

Depending on the radiation dose and which area of the body needs treatment, there may be risks to the fetus throughout pregnancy. When doctors find cancer later in pregnancy, they may recommend starting treatment after the baby is born. Doctors may recommend waiting to treat some specific types of cancer, such as early-stage cervical cancer, until after the baby is born.