What is cancer and how does it affect our body? Video / NZME
In an extremely rare case, a toddler is reportedly fighting a battle with ovarian cancer.
On February 15, McKenna 'Kenni' Shea Xydias, 2, from Georgia in the US, developed a 39 degree fever and a severely bloated belly.
The Daily Mail reports that from an x-ray her paediatrician deemed her condition no more serious than a gas bubble in her bowel.
But an ultrasound revealed an ovarian mass.
Kenni's parents, Mike and Meagan Xydias, were in disbelief when CT and MRI scans revealed tumours scattered across her abdomen, one by her liver, and one on her right ovary, measuring 14 centimetres.
The 2-year-old is believed to be one of the youngest cases to present with this strand of cancer, which ordinarily affects females aged between 10 to 30.
Kenni has since had her right ovary extracted as well as part of her small intestine.
The Xydias' are arranging chemotherapy and are in talks with fertility experts about their daughters' prospects for having children in the future.
"We try to take every day one step at a time, but having to consider how these tumours and consequential chemo will potentially effect Kenni in the long run, forces us to look at the big picture as well," her father said on their GoFundMe page.
"Not sure we're quite ready for big picture just yet. Smaller bites can be easier to swallow."
The "yolk-sac" tumour Kenni has is a type of ovarian germ cell tumour. Commonly called GCTs, these make up 25 per cent of ovarian tumours.
Twenty per cent of all ovarian tumours are cancerous, and of these, just 20 per cent of those are cancerous yolk-sac tumours, meaning they're very uncommon. However, young people who do suffer from ovarian cancer are more prone to this rare type than others.
"This is very, very rare," Dr Robert Wenham, Chair of Moffitt Cancer Center's Gynaecological Oncology Department told the Daily Mail.
"Growth can be rapid," he explained, and "swelling and pain" are the typical indication.
The type of cancer she has is extremely rare, yet young people who suffer from ovarian cancer are more prone to it than others.Photo / Go Fund Me
"The good news is the five-year survival for treated patients is relatively high ranging: around almost 100 per cent for stage 1 down to 70 per cent stage 4."
Dr Wenham says while surgery to remove the tumour is suggested, no one knows the effectiveness. However in youth, it's common for surgery to be undertaken anyway in an attempt to save parts for fertility in the future.
Her parents are having to have conversations about her fertility options in the future. Photo / Go Fund Me
For Kenni, the most appropriate treatment is chemotherapy.
"Almost all patients will need chemotherapy, usually with three drugs called bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin," Dr Wenham said.
"There is some support to substitute carboplatin for cisplatin to lessen toxicity."
Family and friends are trying to raise funds to help cover Kenni's medical expenses via social media and a Go Fund Me page.
Mike and Meagan are both teachers and shared that things are financially tight after buying a house recently and moving to Senoia, Georgia with Kenni and their two older sons.
"This poor baby needs your prayers," their friends wrote on Facebook.
On the Go Fund Me page, Mike shared, "This whole experience has been completely outside our usual realm of normalcy.
"Here we are... with no prior experience with sick kids or hospital stays. Now, tubes and medical professionals are our new normal."
He told Good Morning America: "I didn't realise that it could happen to such a young kid.
"I know Meagan and I both agree that Kenni is our hero with how she's dealing with this. She is a ball of energy and a stereotypical 2-year-old. She's the youngest child, where she is the boss and she's extremely stubborn, which [is] a great character trait in going to fight cancer. She doesn't let anything stop her."
Kenni has had surgery and is about to begin chemotherapy. Photo / Go Fund Me
