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This section provides an overview of the primary treatment modalities (types of treatment) for children and young people with cancer.

The purpose of this section is to provide you with an overview of the different type of central lines (central venous access devices, CVAD) used within paediatric haematology/oncology.

Most advances made in treating children and young people’s cancers have been made because of clinical trials. If there is a clinical trial available and a child or young person is eligible, consent will be obtained from them (if appropriate) or from their parent or guardian, to enrol them.

Steroids are prescribed for children and young people with cancer as either part of their treatment or more rarely as a supportive measure.

If a child or young person has undergone an amputation as part of their treatment for cancer there will be a wider multi-disciplinary team (MDT) involved in their care than for most other childhood cancers. Ideally, they will have been referred to physiotherapy and occupational therapy (OT) before their surgery.

A child or young person (CYP) with a primary bone tumour, predominantly 60% osteosarcoma and 34% Ewing sarcomas[1], will normally need an operation to remove the primary tumour to gain local disease control.

Haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is newer terminology for what used to be known as bone marrow transplantation. It is a more accurate description of the procedure.

In this section of the resource you will find information about common side effects faced by children with cancer and some options for supportive care.

Children or young people with cancer may require blood product support throughout their journey. This may be due to the effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy or as a consequence of the disease process itself.

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition we are most likely to see in children or adolescents who are having treatment for cancers that involve multiple doses of vincristine (a neurotoxic agent) such as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).