Actor Emraan Hashmi‘s eight-year-old son Ayaan has been declared cancer-free five years after he was diagnosed with the disease. The actor announced the news to his fans via social media on Monday. “Today, five years after his diagnosis, Ayaan has been declared cancer free. It has been quite a journey. Thank you for all your prayers and wishes. Love and prayers for all the cancer fighters out there. Hope and belief goes a long way. You can win this battle,” the 39-year-old actor who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming film “Why Cheat India” wrote.
He also uploaded a few photographs of his son along with the heartfelt post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsmnYIrDogP/
Born in February 2010, Ayaan, the first child of Emraan and wife Parveen Shahani, was diagnosed with first stage cancer at the age of four in early 2014 in Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai. In 2016, Emraan also wrote a book titled “The Kiss of Life: How A Superhero and My Son Defeated Cancer on Ayaan’s battle with cancer. Reportedly, Ayaan had Wilms tumour, a malignant tumour of the kidneys, which usually affects children. According to Dr Arbinder Singal, a pediatric surgeon practising in Navi Mumbai, Wilms tumour usually affects children of that age. Wilms tumour is usually characterized by abdominal pain and swelling, blood in the urine and fever. Since the cancer was classified as ‘stage 1′ the prognosis or chance of recovery was very good. According to Dr Singal, Stage 1 Wilms tumour has a 95% remission rate.
What is Wilms tumour?
Wilms tumour, also called nephroblastoma, is the cancer of kidney that usually affects children. It is named after Max Wilms, a German surgeon, who first studied it. This can affect either one or both the kidneys. In most cases, the cause of Wilms tumour is unknown. In some cases, Wilms tumour could be a result of congenital malformations. These patients could have large swollen abdomen, blood in the urine or high blood pressure along with recurring stomach upset, weight loss and loss of appetite.
Treatment of childhood cancers
It is important to note that most childhood cancers are curable. The same cannot always be said about adult cancers. Early detection is the key in the treatment of cancer in children so that they can be provided with the best treatment and so that they can recover faster.
The treatment options for cancers in children usually comprise the following:
In chemotherapy, the patients are given anti-cancer drugs either intravenously (through the veins) or intrathecally (where the drugs are introduced through the spine) or they are given orally to kill the cancer cells. Since the healthy cells are also affected by these drugs, the side effects of chemotherapy are very common. These include fatigue, discomfort and pain, hair loss and scalp sensitivity, gastrointestinal problem, anaemia, blood clotting, urinary tract infection. In some cases, the drugs could affect other organs, normal growth and cognitive development in the body.
In radiation treatment, high energy x-rays are used to kill or shrink tumours. This may be given before chemotherapy or surgery.
In surgery, the cancer-causing tumours are surgically removed.
According to Dr Tushar Vora, professor, paediatric medical oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, the treatment of most pediatric cancers lasts for about six months, but in some cases, it may continue for up to 2.5 years. The doctor also says that kids are able to tolerate cancer treatment better and there is also faster recovery in children than that in adults. The children can have a normal quality of life post-treatment and can expect a normal life span.
On earlier occasions, Emraan had talked about his son s battle with cancer and the importance of not giving up hope. There is a misconception about cancer that it is not curable and that the patient would die. Please stop thinking this disease as a dead end… It is not. If diagnosed at the right stage, it even can be cured… So do not break down, and rather stay hopeful, he had been quoted as saying. Talking about the parental vulnerability in such a situation, he said: I know it is easy to say that don’t lose hope and things will fall in place, but as a father, I can say that when my little Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer, he went through physical pain. My wife and I went through a huge emotional trauma. However, positive thinking is the best way to deal with it — if you think positive, stay positive, even treatment will respond well to a patient’s body. So I am saying it from personal experience that stay positive. He had also noted that children dealt with the disease better. Kids recover faster because they are playful and resilient even when they are suffering. They don’t understand the intensity of cancer and that works in their favour, he added.
With inputs from IANS
