Leukaemia, brain tumours and lymphomas are the most common diagnoses in children under the age of 15. Around half of all cases are found in the 0-4 year age group.
Cure rates for children are much higher than for most adult cancers. The survival rate for children’s cancer has more than doubled since the 1960s. More than 8 in 10 children (84%) in England now survive their cancer for 5 years or more (all cancers combined); but some cancer groups and cancer types still have much lower survival.
Children's cancers can be quite different from cancers affecting adults and tend to occur in different parts of the body to adult cancers. They also look different under the microscope and respond differently to treatment.
There is a network of specialist centres, known as Principal Treatment Centres, for diagnosing and treating children’s and teenage/young adult cancers.
This page is about cancer in children (age 0-14 years). To find out more about cancer in young people (age 15-24) years see information about cancer in teenagers and young adults.
