Oncologist Names Children at High Cancer Risk
Every year in the Sverdlovsk Region, about 150 children develop cancer, but in developed countries the cure rate exceeds 80%.
Apr 27, 2026 0
Oleg Arakayev reports 150 pediatric cancer cases annually in the Sverdlovsk Region.
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Chief pediatric oncologist of the Sverdlovsk Region Ministry of Health, Oleg Arakayev, reported that about 150 children are diagnosed with cancer in the region each year. According to him, this statistic aligns with the global rate of 16 cases per 100,000 children.
Arakayev noted that childhood cancer incidence has age peaks. Hemoblastoses (hematologic malignancies) are most often detected at ages 3–4, central nervous system tumors in early childhood or adolescence, and solid cancers can occur from birth to 18 years.
- Hemoblastoses are a group of malignant diseases of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. They are characterized by pathological proliferation of blood cells, impaired hematopoiesis, and damage to the bone marrow or lymph nodes.
- Solid cancer is a malignant tumor that forms a dense nodule in tissues or organs other than the hematopoietic system. In children, such growths often develop from embryonic cells, grow faster, and have a different nature than in adults.
In developed countries, including Russia, the cure rate for childhood cancer exceeds 80%. According to the oncologist, this has been achieved thanks to modern immunotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, and targeted therapy.
“The specifics [of the disease course] in younger patients include high toxicity, risk of infectious complications, and intolerance to certain drugs. Older patients tolerate chemotherapy more easily, respond faster to therapy, and achieve remission,” said Oleg Arakayev at a press conference at TASS-Ural.
No separate cancer screening is required for schoolchildren. Children undergo examinations as part of preventive checkups, where blood tests, ultrasound, or fluorography are prescribed if necessary.
“There is a special group of children — patients with immunodeficiency conditions, Down syndrome, and other congenital syndromes — these patients have a several dozen times increased risk of cancer,” said Oleg Arakayev.
Pediatricians monitor children with such conditions particularly closely to begin treatment at early stages if a malignant tumor develops.
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