Some facts about childhood cancer

* The incidence of childhood cancer is 140 per million world

* It is estimated that in South Africa only half of the children are diagnosed and reach a treatment centre in time.

* The good news is that if diagnosed early and treated correctly, the majority of children (about 70%) can be cured.

* The cancers that occur in childhood are generally different to those of adults and most often occur in developing cells, like bone marrow, blood, kidneys and tissues of the nervous system

* The most common childhood cancer is leukaemia, followed by tumours of the brain, and by a wide variety of other tumours.

* Generally childhood cancer is treated with chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation, and in some cases a combination of these treatments is used. In certain situations, bone marrow or stem cell transplantation is done.

* Life threatening blood disorders include: aplastic anaemia, thalassaemia and ITP.

* Childhood cancers are diseases requiring specialist treatment at a centre where there is expertise in the management and care. In South Africa, as in most developed countries, these specialist units are linked to the major academic hospitals.

* Travelling from home to attend these clinics for treatment adds another dimension of practical and emotional difficulty to an already overwhelming situation.

Childhood Cancer in South Africa

There are about 600 children diagnosed with cancer each year in South Africa.

• However, given the rates that are found in other countries, it is believed that at least half of the children with cancer in our country are never diagnosed, and thus receive no treatment.
• In addition, many children are diagnosed too late, with an advanced stage of cancer, for treatment to have a good chance of success.
  
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