CHILDREN'S CANCER - Introduction

CHILDREN'S CANCER - Introduction

Children's cancers are rare. Only 1 in every 600 children under 15 years of age develops a cancer, and these are quite different from cancers affecting adults. They tend to occur in different parts of the body, they look different under the microscope and they respond differently to treatment. Cure rates for children are much higher than for most adult cancers and over 60% of all children can now be completely cured.

What causes cancer?
Nobody knows the cause of cancer, although there are many theories. A great deal of research is currently underway studying a number of possible causes. Sometimes 2 or 3 children develop cancer in the same school or village, causing local concern. These cases are carefully investigated but at present they do seem to arise by chance.

In general cancer occurs when cells in the body become out of control and multiply. They stop working properly and as their numbers increase they form a lump or tumour. When cancer cells break away and spread to other parts of the body they may produce secondary tumours known as metastases.

Cancers are not infectious, nor, for most cancers, is there any evidence that they are inherited. It is exceptionally rare for a second child in a family to develop cancer. Parents often worry that their child has a cancer because of something they did or did not do. This is not the case and parents should not feel guilty or take any sort of blame for their child developing cancer. Although the total number of children developing cancer has changed little in the last 40 years, the prospects for many have improved dramatically with advances in treatment.