Cancerbackup: Children's cancers

Skip the page content navigation if you do not require links to content sections within this page.

Page Content Navigation

Skip the main banner if you do not want to read it as the next section.


Page Banner

Want to speak to a specialist cancer nurse? Call free on 0808 800 1234



The best cancer information for everyone.
Cancerbackup has merged with Macmillan. Together we can provide a wealth of high quality information about cancer.


Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section.


Children's cancers

Children's cancers are rare. In the UK, only 1 in every 600 children under 15 years of age develops a cancer. This means that approximately 1700 children (up to the age of 15) in the UK are diagnosed with cancer each year. These cancers are quite different from cancers affecting adults in that they tend to occur in different parts of the body to adult cancers. They also look different under the microscope and respond differently to treatment.

Cure rates for children are much higher than for most adult cancers and over 70% (more than 7 in 10) of all children can now be completely cured.


Content last reviewed: 01 June 2008
Page last modified: 17 July 2008

Get support

Look for other people in the same situation on our What Now? community - read their blogs or talk to them in our chat rooms.

Find out about other ways to get support on the main Macmillan website.

Go to TIC, Cancerbackup's teenage cancer website