What’s What BR

Dr. Corey Falcon from Oshner, Baton Rouge. He works in pediatric oncology at Oshner’s. He also does hematology, which is blood disorders.

I’ll be asking all the dumb questions today. 

Most of the cancers in children are distinct. Childhood leukemia is the most common cancer in children. There are some types that are similar, but typically the treatments, sometimes they can overlap, but treatments are different.

You’ve got to treat the child, and somewhat, I would think, treat the parents too. The child doesn’t know everything that’s going on, especially depending on age. One thing that’s also important is the siblings. We tell the kids and the families, we’re going to be with you throughout this journey.

There’s some advancements that have been made for treating children. One of the big things is something called immunotherapy. It uses the body’s immune system to fight the cancer. It also limits side effects to the body that traditional toxic chemotherapy can cause. Every little bit is better.

Dr. Falcon says things are moving in the right direction. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It is a tough job, but we’re fortunate and blessed to take care of these wonderful kids.