Once an individual starts cancer treatment, it is imperative that they complete it rather than stop midway, says Lautoka Aspen Hospital paediatrician Doctor Savenaca Seduadua.
He was speaking a recent cancer awareness session organised by WOWs Kids Fiji and the Health Ministry in Lautoka.
“That point of me urging parents to stick to one doctor is not a message for children with cancer.
“It’s urging parents whose children have any of the early warning signs of being sick.
“The point of saying that is because general practitioners, when you come in with symptoms, will not really think of cancer as the initial diagnosis and would treat common illnesses.
“If they stick to one doctor, they would already be keeping tabs of the number of times they come to hospital and also become suspicious, eventually, if you are not responding to antibiotics and other medication and therefore would be prompted to refer the children early to tertiary level care.”
Dr Seduadua said it was extremely important that parents stick to the prescribed treatment.
“Most of the time, and from experience I’ve seen, as they start off treatment, when they see that their children are getting better, most of them choose to abandon treatment.
“Cancer is not like any other, those other common illnesses that you see where you treat and you can stop treatment prematurely, and then if the infection comes back, you come back, and they restart treatment.
“If you don’t complete and the cancer returns, which is highly likely, then there is no provision of that being restarted again.
“They probably might prescribe you some medications, or refer you to the dietician, send you home.
“When you’re at home, when you’re there, and you come back, it’s very important to be seen by the same people, because when the doctor keeps seeing you, if it’s the first time they see you or second time, usually by the third time it starts raising flags for them.”
He urged parents whose child are diagnosed with cancer to stick to one doctor when taking their child for observation or treatment.
