Treatment Types

There are many different types of treatment for cancer, each specific to the type of cancer and where the disease is found in the body. 

Treatment may be a single treatment method (eg surgery), or a combination of treatments (eg surgery and radiotherapy). The consultant (oncologist or haematologist) will discuss a suitable course of treatment designed for your child. 

Common treatment methods 

• Surgery: aims to remove the tumour during an operation

• Chemotherapy: using anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells

• Radiotherapy: using radiation to destroy cancer cells

• Stem cell and bone marrow transplants: involving high doses of chemotherapy drugs followed by an infusion of blood stem cells

• Immunotherapy: specific drugs that target particular cancer cells

• Targeted therapy: drugs that work differently to chemotherapy by blocking  specific proteins and genes in cancer cells.

Clinical trials, as methods of exploring and deciding on the most effective and efficient means of treating cancer, are an important treatment option for cancer patients of all ages.

Other issues to think about during treatment include:

• Pain management

• Hair loss

• Fertility issues

• Effects on siblings

• Chemotherapy side effects and radiotherapy side effects