Paediatric Oncology

Paediatric oncology is a field of medicine which diagnoses and treats cancer in children.

The most common forms of cancer in children are:

Leukaemia – a type of blood cancer which is responsible for 31% of cancer cases in children. Leukaemia occurs when the division of white blood cells in the bone marrow gets out of control, and healthy blood cells can no longer be produced..

Brain tumours – these affect 26% of children with cancer and can be difficult to detect because the symptoms could be the result of a wide variety of conditions. Treatment usually involves surgery to remove the tumour, and often radiotherapy or chemotherapy. 

Lymphoma – accounting for 10% of cases of cancer in children, lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, part of the immune system. It involves the abnormal growth of a type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte. These are generally produced in lymph nodes, which are found all over the body, meaning lymphoma can develop virtually anywhere.

In the vast majority of cases, childhood cancers are not related to the child’s lifestyle, but there may be some (as of yet) unconfirmed risk factors. That is why it is quite complicated to prevent them. However, some studies have shown that some risk factors could develop into a tumour if a child is frequently exposed to them, such as:

• Ionising radiation

• Smoking

• Chemical and fine specks of dust or particles pollution

• Infections

The most common treatments for childhood cancer are:

• Chemotherapy

• Bone marrow transplant (in the case of leukaemia)

• Radiotherapy

• Immunotherapy