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Childhood Cancer

Cancer in children is rare, with around 1600 new cases in the UK each year. The most common childhood cancer is leukaemia, which accounts for almost one third of cases. Cancers of the brain and spinal cord (CNS tumours) are the next most common, accounting for one quarter of all cases. We have come a long way in recent years with the survival rate for children’s cancer more than doubling since the 1960s. We want to continue this excellent progress, helping more children survive and to find less harsh treatments with fewer side effects.

Statistics that keep us fighting to find a cure...

In Britain around 1 in 500 children and young people will develop cancer.

More than 100 children in the North of England are diagnosed each year.

Around 75% of children diagnosed with cancer can be cured.

In the UK, cancer is the most common cause of death in children aged 1 to 14 years old.

There are around 1600 new cases in the UK each year.

The survival rate for children’s cancer has more than doubled since the 1960s.

Where are children treated in the region?

The North of England is a large region covering Cumbria, County Durham, Northumberland, Teesside and Tyneside. Most of the children diagnosed in this region will come to the Paediatric Oncology Unit at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle for treatment. This is more than two children and young people from our region every single week.

Thanks to research carried out over the last 25 years and continuous improvement in therapy, almost 75% of children and young people with cancer can now be cured.

Children and young people can be affected by a wide variety of different types of cancer:

  1. 1
    Leukaemia & Lymphoma
  2. 2
    Brain tumours
  3. 3
    Solid tumours,
  4. 4
    Bone tumours (Osteosarcomas, Ewing’s sarcomas)
  5. 5
    Kidney tumours (Wilms tumours)
  6. 6
    Neuroblastomas
  7. 7
    Soft tissue sarcomas

The challenges for the future are:

Find a cure

To find a cure for those children and young people with high-risk tumours and relapse who disease relapsed after initial treatment. With currently available therapy these patients have a lower chance of cure.

Reduce side effects

To target therapy more specifically towards the individual tumours. This will reduce the side effects and burden that our therapy places on our young patients and their families.

We have raised over £30 million to improve treatments for childhood cancer, and the charity has played a key role in making Newcastle a leading research centre in the fight against these terrible diseases. There is still a long way to go and progress is only possible with your help.

Find out more about the ways you can help
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