What is children's cancer?
Survival depends on many different factors. It depends on your child’s cancer type and any changes inside the cancer cells. It also depends on treatment and generally how well they are.
The best person to talk to is your child’s consultant. They have the full picture and all the information. But even they won’t be able to give you a definite answer of what will happen.
Survival for children's cancers is improving and has more than doubled in the UK since the 1970’s.
In Great Britain in the early 1970’s, 40 out of 100 children (40%) aged 0 to 14 years with cancer survived for at least 5 years. Now, around 85 out of 100 children (around 85%) in the UK survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.
The following figures are for 1, 5 and 10 year survival for children diagnosed in 2018. They have come from the Office for National Statistics and are based on the report for childhood cancer survival for England. These figures are estimates based on previous survival statistics for childhood cancer.
Around 95 out of 100 children (around 95%) survive their cancer for at least one year after they are diagnosed.
Around 85 out of 100 children (around 85%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.
Around 80 out of 100 children (around 80%) survive their cancer for ten years or more. Most of these long term survivors will be cured of their cancer.
The terms 1 year, 5 year and 10 year survival do not mean that your child will only live for 1, 5 or 10 years. Many children live much longer than this. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and researchers collect information about what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. These year milestones have become the most common way of talking about cancer statistics.
Statistics are averages based on large numbers of patients. They can’t predict exactly what will happen to your child. No two children with cancer are exactly alike. And response to treatment also varies from one child to another.
The most common types of childhood cancer are:
leukaemia (a type of blood cancer) - diagnosed in around 30 out of 100 (around 30%) of children with cancer
brain, other central nervous system (CNS) and intracranial tumours - these are tumours in the brain, spinal cord and other parts inside the skull. They are diagnosed in 25 out of 100 (25%) of children with cancer
But there are many other cancers that affect children. Survival statistics are different for each cancer type.
Most of this information comes from the children, teenagers and young adults UK cancer statistics report 2021, published by Public Health England.
The astrocytoma information comes from the CONCORD Working Group. These figures are for children between 0 to 14 years old who were diagnosed in the UK between 2010 and 2014.
The current information and figures are for children diagnosed with cancer in all of the UK, which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This data shows us the percentage of children (the number of children out of 100) who are alive 5 years after their cancer diagnosis.
Cancer Research UK has an online forum called CancerChat. Here you’re able to chat to other people, including parents, who are affected by cancer.
Last reviewed: 03 Jan 2024
Next review due: 03 Jan 2027
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