Paediatric Diseases: Paediatric Oncology (Clinical Presentation on Retinoblastoma and Case Study)

 INTRODUCTION TO PAEDIATRIC DISEASES 

Paediatrics is a branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children and adolescents and the age limit usually ranges from birth up to 18 years of age (WHO regulations, 2014). 

Subspecialties in paediatrics 

- Oncology -Psychiatry 

- Paediatric cardiology -Nephrology 

 - Critical care medicine -Neonatal Medicine 

- Haematology -Endocrinology, etc

PEDIATRIC DISEASES 

The term paediatric disease (childhood disease) refers to disease that is contracted or becomes symptomatic before the age of 18 years old. 

Many of these diseases can also be contracted by adults.

PAEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY: DEFINITIONS 

Cancers are a large family of diseases that involve abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. 

Cells undergo unregulated growth form a mass or lump (except in Leukaemia), but may be distributed diffusely. Cancer occurs when changes in a group of normal cells within the body lead to uncontrolled growth