Childhood cancer: unique opportunities and inherent challenges

Manoharan, Neevika; O'Brien, Tracey

doi:10.5694/mja2.50487

Topics

As the incidence of childhood cancer rises, challenges include delivering personalised precision medicine and minimising the late effects of disease and treatment

Cancer is the leading cause of disease‐related death during childhood.1 Cancer in children and adolescents has profound impacts at the individual, family, community, and population levels that are comparable with the burdens of cancer in adults. Moreover, cancer in children is associated with unique opportunities and challenges. They include a lack of knowledge about causative and preventive factors for most childhood cancers, the loss of a lifetime of potential when a child succumbs to their disease, and, for survivors, the lifelong sequelae of cancer diagnosis and treatment.1,2

Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital (Randwick), Sydney, NSW

Correspondence: tracey.obrien@health.nsw.gov.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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