Childhood Cancer

There are many childhood cancer topics and pages available on this website. Check out some quick links to the main sections.

Information for rangatahi (young people) who have had cancer treatment. Some rangatahi who have had certain types of treatment are more likely to have problems with their teeth. It is important to see your dentist regularly - at least once a year. 

Information for rangatahi (young people) who have had cancer treatment. Some cancers and cancer treatments can cause infertility. Infertility happens when you stop producing sperm or when your sperm is too damaged. Not all cancers and cancer treatments cause infertility.

Information for rangatahi (young people) who have had cancer treatment. Some cancers and cancer treatments can affect your fertility. Talk to your healthcare team about your individual risk.

Information for rangatahi (young people) who have had cancer treatment. Some people who have had childhood cancer have more difficulty with thinking and learning than their peers. Long-term follow-up care can help identify if there are difficulties and what could help with these. 

Information for rangatahi (young people) who have had cancer treatment. Some childhood cancer treatments can affect your heart. If this happens, having your heart checked is important. 

Information for rangatahi (young people) who have had cancer treatment. You may have some questions about how to keep well and healthy and what to worry about or not to worry about after finishing your treatment for cancer. 

From 2 to 5 years after cancer treatment has finished, your child or young person will transfer into long-term follow-up care. This focuses on long-term problems that may be the result of the disease or treatment. Remember, many rangatahi (young people) do not develop any long-term problems.

If your child has cancer, please talk to your child's healthcare team before using any complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) for your child. Some CAM treatments, even vitamins, can interfere with standard medical treatment or can be unsafe for your child with cancer. 

When your child is getting ready to go home from hospital, feelings of excitement can be mixed with feelings of anxiety for everyone in the whānau (family). 

If your child has had a cancer diagnosis, you and your whānau (family) should know that you are not alone. Support is available.

Find out about some techniques you can use to help your child cope with their cancer treatment.

Play is how tamariki (children) make sense of the world around them. In hospital, it helps them to express their feelings and worries, understand what is happening and cope with treatment. This information is for child cancer patients in hospital but is also relevant to any child in hospital.

Sometimes, if your child has lost a lot of weight or has not been eating very well for a period of time, they may need tube feeding. 

Medicines your child has during cancer treatment can sometimes cause taste changes.

All tamariki (children) need to eat well to stay healthy and to grow well. Eating well means eating the right balance of a wide variety of foods. For tamariki who have cancer, eating well is especially important.