The Tribune

Leukaemia is the most prevalent cancer among children in the Bahamas, according to ongoing research.

The Cancer Society of the Bahamas came to this conclusion while working on the National Cancer Registry that, when finished, will ensure both private and public healthcare service providers provide data on persons with cancer.

Research has still not been able to conclude why children get cancer, but it is believed that five per cent is caused by inherited mutation of the genes.

Statistics regarding childhood cancer in the Bahamas are also limited and there are no screenings for children, but the Cancer Society hopes to change all that with the help of the new registry, according to its programme coordinator, Melissa Major

To observe September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the Cancer Society partnered with the RBC Royal Bank, which recently hosted an informative session on the disease. In a one-hour session that covered everything from what cancer is, to treatment and preventative measures, RBC employees learned lessons that will hopefully reduce the number of cancer seen in the Bahamas.

Khalila Ambrister of the bank’s human resources department said in her opinion the session was “really good and very informative”.

“I wish the session had been longer, given the valuable information that was shared. Cancer is so prevalent in my family, but the info on childhood cancer really stuck with me,” she said.

Overall, in children less than 15 years of age, in the industrialised world, childhood cancer is listed as the fourth most common cause of death.

Ms Major encouraged RBC staff to pay careful attention to their children by taking their aches and pains seriously.

While there are no cancer screenings for children at the moment, screenings do exist for many adult cancers, including breast, prostate and colon cancer. Ms Major warned that there has been an increase in colon cancer diagnosis over the last year. This information stood out to Claudia Rolle, RBC risk manager.

“I was particularly interested in learning about the rates of colon cancer in the Bahamas. I also realise the importance of doing my own research and making my own decisions about how best to prevent the disease, especially when I think of my daughter and consider things like whether or not to give her the HPV vaccine.”

HPV, which stands for human papillomavirus, is a virus that is known to cause cervical cancer a vaccine is currently available for teenagers.

While the HPV vaccine might prevent cervical cancer, Ms Major also offered RBC staff other alternatives, including eating a healthy, balanced diet; maintaining a healthy weight; staying physically active; drinking less alcohol; giving up smoking; protecting your skin from sun damage, and knowing your body.

These tips were particularly useful to Andia Delancy, manager of the RBC Mortgage Relief Programme, who said: “It’s inspired me to take a different approach to fitness goals, eating and my overall lifestyle, not just for me, but for my family. We can catch this before it starts with a lifestyle change if we become proactive rather than reactive.”

Ms Major applauded RBC for its efforts in bringing the message of cancer home.

“I find that when we partner with companies like RBC, it’s easy to bring our mission of education to life. Many people are afraid to even talk about cancer, but forums like this are especially rewarding,” she said.