What is childhood cancer?
Although each week on average in New Zealand four children and teenagers are diagnosed with cancer, the outlook for survival has improved dramatically in recent years.
Childhood cancer, once a disease with an almost certain fatal outcome, is now treated with new techniques which have the capability of producing remissions and in some cases have brought about apparent cures. The treatment is not always successful, and children with cancer and their families may live with uncertainty for many years.
What types of cancer are found in children? Leukaemia is the most common type of cancer found in children, and of that group:
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL)
Most commonly affects children between the ages of 2 and 8 - although it can occur at a later age. ALL - as the name suggests - affects the lymphocytes (one of the groups of white blood cells).
Acute Myelogenous Leukaemia (AML)
Also called Acute Granulocytic Leukaemia, sometimes occurs in children and teenagers but more commonly occurs in people over the age of 25.
Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia is not common in children.
Brain Tumours
Are the second most frequently diagnosed cancer of childhood, and are most commonly seen in children from 5 to 10 years of age.
Cancer Information
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