Dr. Ren Manias, Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Southampton General Hospital, explains that while a cancer diagnosis impacts a child's learning, various support options—including hospital schools, home tutoring, and remote learning—are available to help maintain educational continuity and emotional wellbeing during and after treatment.
Louise Robinson is a neuro-oncology outreach nurse specialist at East Midlands Children’s and Young Persons’ Integrated Cancer Service. Here, she emphasises the importance of collaboration and explains how a support pathway helps young patients with their education.
Lauren Bryce’s son, Alfie, had just begun his final year of school when he was diagnosed with leukaemia, aged 15. Here, she tells us about their struggles with the education system after his diagnosis and what could have helped him as he prepared to take his GCSEs.
Parents and carers of children who have been diagnosed with cancer often have many questions about school and education. Keeley McEvoy, Lead Assistant Headteacher of the Medical Needs Teaching Service working at Leeds Children’s Hospital, explains more about what to expect from hospital teaching, ongoing education support and transitioning back to school.
Children with cancer who also have learning difficulties and autism often have additional needs when it comes to their care. Jeanette Hawkins, CCLG’s Chief Nurse, tells us more about a project aiming to improve support for this group of patients.
Caroline Brown, Lead Complementary Therapist for Paediatrics, Teenagers and Young Adults at The Royal Marsden Hospital
Gareth Veal, Professor of Cancer Pharmacology at the Newcastle University Cancer Centre, leads a team helping doctors to personalise treatments through an innovative process called ‘therapeutic drug monitoring’. Here, he tells us more about his work.
Pritesh Patel, Senior Specialist Pharmacist in Paediatric Cancer at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and CCLG member
Single-cell transcriptomics linked to lineage tracing to interrogate the role of intra-tumour heterogeneity in shaping therapeutic susceptibility and resistance in paediatric cancer
