Witnessing the cruelty of the world since birth, this tiny sprout cannot even express the amount of agony he is in. Unfortunately, hundreds of children are suffering from the same illness, struggling to get the better of the excruciating pain. For them, the Pediatric Cancer Hospital of the National Center for Maternal and Child Health (NCMCH) is the only home they know. Some are receiving radiation therapy and some are on surgery beds. It is heart-wrenching to even imagine how much pain they are in.

Up until now, we understood that cancer was an illness for only the elders. But the situation is different now. We can see that cancer is a threat to everyone including infants.

At the NCMCH, 60 infants were diagnosed with cancers in 2016. But the number of cancer discovery among newborns increased to 70 last year. Adding the children that are currently being treated, nearly 700 children are suffering from cancer as of today. The number is constantly on the rise without decreasing. As miserable as it is, the country does not have a single study on the cause of this growing number of pediatric cancer.

“The cause of 95 percent of pediatric cancer remain undiscovered. The remaining five percent are due to genetic mutations, in other words hereditary. The rise in cancer victims is driven by two factors. First, improving diagnosis. We now can discover multiple types of cancer with modern medicine. Secondly, the increasing number of illness that is following the evolution of society,” explained a spokesperson of the NCMCH.

The global rate of successful pediatric cancer treatment is currently at 80 percent. But the rate stands at 75 percent for Mongolia. This means that one out of four children are departing this world at the very starting point.

“Although we cannot ascertain the root of the cause, there are assumptions. For example, it could be a numerous virus or the vulnerability after a common cold could inflict the tumor. Due to the lack of official studies, we cannot be sure whether if air pollution is another source or not. But it is definitely slowing the process of treatment,” said an oncologist at the NCMCH.

It is obvious that there are many factors at play for cancer. But it would not be false to say air pollution is the root of all the potential risks. Troubled by the actual danger among children, another doctor remarked, “I am worried about the newborns. Because they have a very high chance of becoming victims of cancer in just a few years. Although it is not proven scientifically, there is a high chance that this probability could be real.”