When you watch their bright faces as they play around, ambition and the hope of a
bright future written all over their young faces, one cannot tell of the agony and pain these
children endure every single day. Their little giggles and laughs disguise what the little ones
have to go through at such tender ages. For some, the tumors can clearly be seen protruding
from their faces while for others, their tiny wasted bodies tell it all. Childhood cancer is a
reality in our Kenyan society affecting many children across the country.
For ages, cancer has been known to affect only the middle aged and the aged in society
but then children as young as five years and below also suffer from different types of cancer
and such cases are more prevalent than in the past. This is as a result of various factors
discussed in this study as well as lack of awareness amongst the public. Childhood cancer is
indeed a matter of great concern.
A cancer is a cell that has lost its normal control mechanisms. It develops from the
abnormal and uncontrolled division of cells which then invade and destroy the surrounding
tissues. Cancer cells spread in the body through either the blood stream, lymphatic channels
or across body cavities which eventually set up secondary tumors in areas distant from the
original tumor.