All genders

If your child with cancer is having anaesthesia or sedation they will have to stop eating food and drinking fluids before the procedure. Your local healthcare team will give you instructions about preparing your child for surgery. 

A clinical trial is a research study. Clinical trials have played a huge role in the dramatic improvements in childhood cancer cure rates in the last 30 to 40 years.

During a blood and marrow transplant (BMT), doctors replace your child's bone marrow system with healthy blood stem cells.

Radiation therapy treats cancer using high-energy x-ray beams. The beams target cancer cells from outside the body and destroy fast-growing cells, such as cancer cells.

Many tamariki (children) with cancer will have surgery during their treatment. Most surgeries happen in the operating room while your child is asleep under general anaesthesia.

Chemotherapy treatment uses anti-cancer medicines (drugs) to treat cancer by stopping cells from growing or by destroying cells.

There are 3 types of treatment commonly used to manage cancer in tamariki (children). They are chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. There are a variety of procedures that your child may need during their treatment for childhood cancer.

A port-a-cath or powerport, known as a port, is a small chamber, about the size of a 20 cent coin. It has a silicone centre that can be pricked with a special needle many times. It has a thin flexible silicone tube attached.

A peripherally inserted central catheter (known as a PICC or PIC line) is a temporary, short-term central venous catheter sometimes used when your child is in hospital. 

An abnormally fast heart rhythm (tachycardia) can arise from the upper or lower chambers of the heart. Tachycardias that involve the upper chambers are called supraventricular tachycardias (SVT). Supraventricular tachycardias are usually not dangerous.

It's important to work closely with school staff to create a safe environment for your child with diabetes. A diabetes healthcare provider will generally work with your child or teen, your family and teachers.

An external catheter is a thin, flexible, partially implanted silicone tube that extends outside the body. Inside the body, the catheter lies under the skin of the chest. It goes into a central vein near a small incision by the neck.

A central venous catheter is a device that allows health professionals to give medicines, fluids and blood products into a large central vein that leads directly into your child's heart.

You and your child will benefit from being well prepared. Ask as many questions as you need to get a clear understanding of what is going to happen and why.

 If your child has cancer they may need some tests to find out how well their organs are working.

A biopsy is a test where a doctor takes a piece of tissue out of the body to check for cancer cells.