What is childhood cancer? Childhood cancer is simply cancer in a child, in the UK 1,900 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. 80% of these children are expected to live at least 5 years or more. This compares to 20-30% in 1960. Cancer comes in many different forms with the most common being acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and cancers of the brain or spinal cord. Cancer in children is seen as rather rare, with children's cancer making up less than 1% of all cancer cases. The most common age for cancer to be seen within in children is between 0-4 and since the 1990s the cases of cancer within children has risen by 12%.
Within recent years treatment for cancers are forever changing, to make it more effective and yet easier and less intense on the child. That is why I feel as a project that it is important to create an educational piece that can help explain a cancer diagnosis to a child with more modern up to date information. That is why in this research phase I think it is important to look at key elements that definitely need to be mentioned within the book.
During treatment for cancer children undergo a range of treatment the main being chemotherapy. Chemo can come in many different types from pills to IV transfusions and injections. This will be an important element to discuss as it will be the main part of a child's treatment and therefore must be explained in a way that they can understand. Chemo can also cause other side effects such as feeling ill and also possible hair falling out. Hair falling out can be really hard for a child as it makes them different from their friends. Therefore, once again this needs to be explained in a way that still could be seen in a positive light perhaps like explaining the idea of wigs or cool hats.
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