Childhood cancer

UK Childhood Cancer statistics

Chart showing the percentage survival of children with cancer

The term ‘childhood cancer’, that is, cancer diagnosed before the age of 15, includes a wide range of illnesses that are generally unlike adult cancers.

In the UK, 1,538 children were diagnosed with cancer in 2002.

The childhood cancer statistics on these pages are designed for use by health professionals. If you are looking for information because you or someone you know has been affected by childhood cancer, then the CancerHelp UK pages on children's cancers may be more useful and relevant. CancerHelp UK also includes a straightforward guide to understanding statistics.

The risk for an individual child in Britain of being diagnosed with cancer before the age of 15 is about 1 in 500 more>
Cancer in children is still relatively rare, but death in childhood from other causes is now so rare that cancer is still an important cause of death in children more>
About 75% of all childhood cancer patients in Britain currently survive for at least five years after diagnosis more>
Registration rates increased by 0.8% per year on average between 1962 and 1998 more>
Very little is known about the causes of most childhood cancers more>
This page details genetic factors associated with childhood cancer more>
This page details childhood cancer symptoms and diagnosis more>
This page details treatment and follow-up for children with cancer in the UK more>
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Page last updated: December 2004
 
 
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