Summary of research by Globalworth Foundation and Ronald McDonald Foundation

3 cities, 895 small patients examined, 104 recommended consultations - this is the result of a special edition of the study "NO to cancer in children", carried out from April to June this year by the Globalworth Foundation and the Ronald McDonald Foundation. The most common abnormalities were related to the urinary and reproductive systems.

The aim of the special edition of the research was to thoroughly assess the condition of internal organs and detect possible deviations from the norm, neoplastic changes and congenital defects of the kidneys and urinary tract. Free, safe and painless examinations were carried out by experienced pediatric radiologists on board the Ambulance, which visited Warsaw, Wrocław and Kraków in turn.

895 children aged 9 months to 6 years, 429 girls and 466 boys were examined. Within the abdominal cavity, mainly parenchymal organs were examined: the liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and fluid-containing organs: gallbladder and urinary bladder. In girls with a full bladder, it was also possible to assess the condition of the reproductive organs. In boys, the testes, epididymis and inguinal canals were additionally assessed.

Abdominal ultrasound changes were found in 110 cases (12.29% of all examined children), of which 47 (42.72% out of 110) were abnormalities in the urinary tract. The most common pathology of the urinary tract was dilation of the urinary tract (17 children), reflecting the potential risk of urinary tract infections and post-inflammatory nephropathy.

"Congenital kidney defects may be asymptomatic for a long time. Kidney ultrasound is the best non-invasive diagnostic test in nephrology because it allows to assess the shape, size and position of the kidneys and to describe all the imperfections of the calyx-pelvic system. Early diagnosis in the urinary tract allows for the prompt implementation of appropriate conservative and / or surgical treatment. This prevents the development of chronic and even end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. In Poland, over 4 million adults suffer from chronic kidney disease, but only 5% of them are diagnosed with it," prof. Adam Jelonek, an outstanding pediatrician, Honorary President of the Management Board of the Ronald McDonald Foundation.

The remaining abnormalities in the abdominal cavity most often concerned enlarged spleen (10 cases), which requires pediatric consultation, and hernias (12 cases) requiring surgical consultation.

Changes and abnormalities of the reproductive system were found in 91 children. They mainly involved focal testes lesions, microcalcifications, cysts, and hydrocele. Also, patients with undescended and migrating testes (50 boys in total) are more likely to develop malignant lesions, therefore they should be monitored by ultrasound.

"It is not accidental that children under 6 are examined. Past experience of pediatricians shows that at this age the incidence of certain childhood cancers peaks, usually detected in the higher, symptomatic stages. In addition, children at this age are quite difficult to examine, they are not able to precisely define their condition, and only with the appropriate approach and experience, the source of which are contacts with thousands of children, you can count on a diagnostically effective and at the same time pleasant for the child examination," Dr. Katarzyna Krupa, specialist in the field of pediatric imaging diagnostics.

During the examination, the parents were informed on an ongoing basis about possible pathologies of the observed structures, and after the examination, they received the result with suggestions for further treatment in the event of any irregularities. These were referrals for follow-up visits, a family doctor or specialist consultations. In a special edition of the study "NO to cancer in children" with the Globalworth Foundation, doctors recommended 104 specialist consultations.

The number of identified irregularities detected during the examination of children proves how important it is to perform preventive examinations. Thanks to them, the children were referred for further specialist consultations, which will allow for preventive measures and implementation of an appropriate method of treatment. As a foundation, we support all activities aimed at improving the quality of health