Better chances for childhood cancer in Brazil

Otavio was still a baby when a small lump appeared on his forehead. Something common among children, this swelling could be the result of a typical injury of someone learning to walk, or even an insect bite. This is why Otavio’s mother at first treated it with an ice pack.

But after two days, as the lump was still there, she looked for a pediatrician in the city where she lives, in the interior of the State of São Paulo. “The doctor first asked us for X-Ray, then an ultrasound, a CT scan and an MRI scan. He did not have much experience with cancer in children, because it is rare, but considered this possibility. I was then referred to an oncologist, who recommended GRAACC hospital for the specialized treatment,” recalls Joseane, the boy’s mother.

It was all very fast. The appointment with the oncologist was on a Friday afternoon and on Monday morning the family arrived at GRAACC hospital, where Otavio was seen by doctors and a multiprofessional team with experience in the type of tumor that had been diagnosed: a stage 4 neuroblastoma The lump on his forehead was actually a sign of a metastasis of the disease.

“Unlike what many people imagine, a metastatic cancer can be cured and does not mean a new cancer, but rather the proliferation of a primary tumor, which happens when cancer cells spread to other healthy tissues. This requires specialized treatment and, the sooner the diagnosis is made, the greater the possibilities of cure,” explains Dr. Eliana Caran, a pediatric oncologist specialized in the treatment of neuroblastoma at GRAACC hospital.

The treatment lasted more than one year. Otavio had chemotherapy, underwent an autologous bone marrow transplant, had radiotherapy sessions, everything inside GRAACC Hospital.

Today, at the age of seven, smiling and full of energy, Otavio is cured and only returns to GRAACC Hospital for exams and medical visits that ensure everything remains fine.

And this is why GRAACC exists: to provide a whole future for children like Otavio.

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