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#ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth: Early diagnosis is crucial, significantly improving survival rates

16 September 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied

Dr Mampoi Jonas and Prof Jan Du Plessis — Dr Mampoi Jonas, senior lecturer in Paediatric Oncology and Prof Jan Du Plessis, Head of the Paediatric Oncology Unit at the University of the Free State (UFS).

A campaign like Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is vital in creating awareness and educating people about the early signs and symptoms of certain cancers. This can significantly improve the survival rate of young patients. More than 50% of people diagnosed with cancer live for more than five years, and some types of cancer have survival rates as high as 90%.

This is according to Prof Jan Du Plessis, Head of the Paediatric Oncology Unit, and Dr Mampoi Jonas, senior lecturer in Paediatric Oncology, at the University of the Free State (UFS).

“Early diagnosis is crucial because early-stage cancer is more responsive to treatment and less likely to be fatal. Due to the rarity of childhood cancer, many children get misdiagnosed or diagnosed too late with advanced stage disease. The delayed detection and diagnosis diminish the chances of successful treatment.

“Cancer awareness educates families, communities, primary-care nurses and doctors about the early signs and symptoms of certain cancers. When people are aware of these, they are more likely to be on the lookout for them when children present with suspicious clinical symptoms and signs. This also gives parents the confidence to seek help early and even make people better able to support those with the disease once a diagnosis is made,” say the paediatric oncologists.

Recorded incidences on the rise

Though childhood cancer is rare, representing only 1.2% of all cancers worldwide, the recorded incidences are increasing. In the US cancer is the number one cause of death among children, while more than 100 000 children worldwide die because of cancer.

Prof Du Plessis says there are more than 12 major types of childhood cancers and multiple subtypes. The most common types are leukaemia, lymphoma (tumours that begin in the lymph glands), brain tumours, nephroblastoma (cancer of the kidneys) and soft tissue sarcomas. Most cancers in children are thought to develop as a result of mutations in genes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth and eventually cancer.

According to Dr Jonas, most cancers in children are thought to develop because of mutations in genes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth and eventually cancer. Although environmental pollutants have been implicated in some cancers, our experience has been that most paediatric cancers rather occur sporadically.

The reasons for the increase of reported incidence of cancer in children, could be to the increase in population numbers and better awareness of childhood cancers. Another reason might be that more children are being diagnosed who were previously misdiagnosed, explains Prof Du Plessis.

Treatments

Childhood cancers are treated with chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy under the care of a paediatric oncologist. Not much can be done about the genetic mutations, but parents can ensure that their children stay safe in the sun (slip, slop, slap campaign – slip on a shirt, slop on some suncream and slap on a hat), get their children vaccinated against HPV infection, help their children stay active and keep a healthy weight and talk to them about smoking.

Prof Du Plessis says the South African paediatric oncology community are currently busy with a few research studies regarding standardising treatment protocols for certain childhood cancers. This is to find out how our children are responding to these protocols and to see if there are different factors affecting the outcomes of South African children. These protocols are based on international treatment protocols with a few adjustments for local circumstances and resources.

They are involved with the Hodgkins lymphoma, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, germ cell tumour studies and contributed to a research study evaluating the nutritional status and interventions to improve the nutritional status of local patients. Registrars presented local (Bloemfontein) data at an international conference (SIOP Africa) on hepatoblastomas and osteosarcomas.

“For many childhood cancer may not be a priority or something they would like to think about. Unfortunately for many of my patient’s parents the truth is that the day before their children were diagnosed with cancer, they were also not a cancer parent. However, their lives changed for ever with these four words: ‘Your child has cancer’.

“Childhood cancer is more than chemo and no hair. It is rather about resilience, strength, hope, family, courage, cuddles, and bravery. Your life will be changed for ever if you have ever seen a child fight cancer. Their smiles will make your heart melt and make you realise the importance of the simple things in life,” declare Prof Du Plessis and Dr Jonas.

Early warning signs for parents

The Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC) has a campaign which emphasises the importance of recognising the early warning signs of childhood cancer. They use Siluan’s Early Warning Signs to raise awareness and promote early diagnosis which are:

• S – Seek medical help early for ongoing symptoms

• I – White spot in the eye, new squint, sudden blindness or bulging eyeball.

• L – Lump on the stomach, pelvis, head, arms, legs, testicle, or glands

• U – Unexplained fever present for over two weeks, weight loss, fatigue, pale appearance, easy bruising, and bleeding

• A – Aching bones, joints, back, and easy fractures

• N – Neurological signs, a change in walk, balance or speech, regression, continuous headaches with/without vomiting, and an enlarged head

While these symptoms can be subtle or easily attributed to other causes, it’s important to consult a doctor if they persist or worsen. If you notice any of these symptoms in a child or teen, seek professional medical help promptly. Early detection of cancer saves lives in both children and teens.

News Archive

MBA Programme - Question And Answer Sheet - 27 May 2004

2004-05-27

1. WHAT MUST THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE (UFS) DO TO GET FULL ACCREDITATION FOR THE MBA PROGRAMMES?

According to the Council on Higher Education’s (CHE) evaluation, the three MBA programmes of the UFS clearly and significantly contribute to students’ knowledge and skills, are relevant for the workplace, are appropriately resourced and have an appropriate internal and external programme environment. These programmes are the MBA General, the MBA in Health Care Management and the MBA in Entrepreneurship.

What the Council on Higher Education did find, was a few technical and administrative issues that need to be addressed.

This is why the three MBA programmes of the UFS received conditional accreditation – which in itself is a major achievement for the UFS’s School of Management, which was only four years old at the time of the evaluation.

The following breakdown gives one a sense of the mostly administrative nature of the conditions that have to be met before full accreditation is granted by the CHE:

a. A formal forum of stakeholders: The UFS is required to establish a more structured, inclusive process of review of its MBA programmes. This is an administrative formality already in process.

b. A work allocation model: According to the CHE this is required to regulate the workload of the teaching staff, particularly as student numbers grow, rather than via standard management processes as currently done.

c. Contractual agreements with part-time staff: The UFS is required to enter into formal agreements with part-time and contractual staff as all agreements are currently done on an informal and claim-basis. This is an administrative formality already in process.

d. A formal curriculum committee: According to the CHE, the School of Management had realised the need for a structure – other than the current Faculty Board - where all MBA lecturers can deliberate on the MBA programmes, and serve as a channel for faculty input, consultation and decision-making.

e. A system of external moderators: This need was already identified by the UFS and the system is to be implemented as early as July 2004.

f. A compulsory research component: The UFS is required to introduce a research component which will include the development of research skills for the business environment. The UFS management identified this need and has approved such a component - it is to take effect from January 2005. This is an insufficient element lacking in virtually all MBA programmes in South Africa.

g. Support programmes for learners having problems with numeracy: The UFS identified this as a need for academic support among some learners and has already developed such a programme which will be implemented from January 2005.

The majority of these conditions have been satisfied already and few remaining steps will take effect soon. It is for this reason that the UFS is confident that its three MBA programmes will soon receive full accreditation.

2. WHAT ACCREDITATION DOES THE UFS HAVE FOR ITS MBA PROGRAMME?

The UFS’s School of Management received conditional accreditation for its three MBA programmes.

Two levels of accreditation are awarded to tertiary institutions for their MBA programmes, namely full accreditation and conditional accreditation. When a programme does not comply with the minimum requirements regarding a small number of criteria, conditional accreditation is given. This can be rectified during the short or medium term.

3. IS THERE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ACADEMIC CORE OF THE UFS’s MBA PROGRAMMES?

No. The UFS is proud of its three MBA programmes’ reputation in the market and the positive feedback it receives from graduandi and their employers.

The MBA programmes of the UFS meet most of the minimum requirements of the evaluation process.

In particular, the key element of ‘teaching and learning’, which relates to the curriculum and content of the MBA programmes, is beyond question. In other words, the core of what is being taught in our MBA programmes is sound.

4. IS THE UFS’s MBA A WORTHWHILE QUALIFICATION?

Yes. Earlier this year, the School of Management – young as it is - was rated by employers as the best smaller business school in South Africa. This was based on a survey conducted by the Professional Management Review and reported in the Sunday Times Business Times, of 25 January 2004.

The UFS is committed to maintaining these high standards of quality, not only through compliance with the requirements of the CHE, but also through implementing its own quality assurance measures.

Another way in which we benchmark the quality of our MBA programmes is through the partnerships we have formed with institutions such as the DePaul University in Chicago and Kansas State University, both in the US, as well as the Robert Schuman University in France.

For this reason the UFS appreciates and supports the work of the CHE and welcomes its specific findings regarding the three MBA programmes.

It is understandable that the MBA review has caused some nervousness – not least among current MBA students throughout the country.

However, one principle that the UFS management is committed to is this: preparing all our students for a world of challenge and change. Without any doubt the MBA programme of the UFS is a solid preparation.

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