Childhood cancer in New Zealand
- in Aotearoa New Zealand, about 150 tamariki (birth to 14 years) have a new cancer diagnosis each year
- more than 85% of tamariki diagnosed with childhood cancer are cured as the result of current treatment
- this small but important group of tamariki achieve excellent outcomes through nationally coordinated cancer care
Children's cancer services in New Zealand
All tamariki with cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand have their care coordinated by the National Child Cancer Network (NCCN).
Specialist treatment centres
There are 2 specialist treatment centres in Aotearoa New Zealand:
- the Starship Blood and Cancer Centre (SBCC) in Auckland
- the Children's Haematology Oncology Centre (CHOC) in Christchurch
These specialist centres share care with 14 local teams in other centres, for tamariki who live outside Auckland and Christchurch. The services use a 'shared care' model which delivers care to tamariki as safely as possible, close to home.
'Shared care' model
If you live outside Auckland or Christchurch, your child will have treatment at your specialist centre and you may return for some treatment at your local hospital. The aim of 'shared care' is to deliver safe, effective and appropriate care by using the paediatric service closest to your family home, as often as is possible, to get the best results for your child.
That means all tamariki get the best available treatment wherever they live. Survival rates are the same across the whole country.
International collaboration
New Zealand child cancer services are part of international networks which share results and information and cooperate in continually improving treatment. This international collaboration means:
- information and expertise is continually updated
- knowledge remains current and available to all the health professionals involved in the management of childhood cancer across New Zealand
- New Zealand's children's cancer services use internationally proven treatment protocols and cancer medicines
Acknowledgements
All the pages in the childhood cancer section of this website have been written by health professionals who work in the field of paediatric oncology. They have been reviewed by the members of the National Child Cancer Network (NZ). Medical information is authorised by the National Child Cancer Network Clinical Leader.
