Introduction to Childhood 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 two or three children in the same school or village develop cancer, 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. Leukaemia is a type of cancer of the bone marrow, which occurs when too many white cells are produced.
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. Around 7 out of 10 children with cancer are now cured, compared with fewer than 3 in 10 forty years ago.
Two factors have contributed to the very significant improvements in survival for children with cancer in the UK and Ireland. First, almost all children aged 0-15 with cancer are now treated in one of a national network of specialist treatment centres, where care is given by a multidisciplinary team of experts. Second, a high proportion of children are also treated as part of clinical trials.
As more children are cured of their cancer, longer term adverse effects of treatment may become apparent. CCLG members are seeking not only to improve survival rates, but also to ensure a normal future – both physically and emotionally – for children who then become adults. Nowadays, 1 in 1,000 adults is a survivor of childhood cancer.
CCLG, together with Macmillan, has produced A Parents Guide to Children’s Cancers, which provides information on diagnostic tests and different treatments, and addresses some of the questions and day-to-day concerns that parents have about their child’s illness. There is also a wide range of information booklets available free of charge from CCLG.
Other sources of information include CLIC Sargent and Macmillan Cancer Support.