Information for families of children with cancer
Childhood cancer is rare - of all the newly diagnosed New Zealanders with cancer 1% are tamariki (children). In New Zealand, about 150 tamariki (birth to 14 years) are diagnosed with cancer each year.
More than 80% of patients diagnosed with a childhood cancer are cured as the result of treatment. An estimated 1 in 900 people aged between 16 and 34 years are childhood cancer survivors.
If your child has had a recent diagnosis of cancer, you'll probably want answers to some general questions - about how cancer develops, how it is treated and what terms like 'remission' actually mean.
Child cancer care is coordinated across Aotearoa New Zealand. That means all tamariki get the best available treatment wherever they live.
Tests and procedures to diagnose cancer
Your child will need to have some tests if your doctor thinks they may have cancer. Your child's main cancer doctor is called their oncologist. They will arrange tests to find out if there are cancer cells in your child's body. Not all tamariki have all the tests or procedures. Your child may have some of the tests again during treatment.
Treatments
Once your child's cancer doctor establishes what kind of cancer your child has, they will decide the type of treatment that your child needs and discuss this with you. The doctors will base their decisions on research findings on the most effective treatment for your child's particular type of cancer.
Coping with cancer treatment
Find out about the range of techniques you can use to help your child cope with their cancer treatment.
If your child has had a cancer diagnosis, you and your whānau (family) should know that you are not alone. Support is available.
Your child's education
Parents often feel overwhelmed after receiving their child's diagnosis. It can take them some time to consider the impact of cancer on their child's education. Learn more about how your child can continue with their education during and after cancer treatment.
Going home from hospital
When your child is getting ready to go home from hospital, feelings of excitement can be mixed with feelings of anxiety for everyone in the whānau. Going home for the first time after diagnosis can be an especially stressful time because the situation is new.
After your child goes home, help is available from support groups like the Child Cancer Foundation and the nursing and medical staff at your local and tertiary hospitals.
Long-term follow-up
About 2 to 5 years after cancer treatment has finished, your child or young person will transfer into long-term follow-up care. This has more focus on long-term problems that may be the result of the disease or treatment. Remember, many young people do not develop any long-term problems.
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.
