Learning resources for health visitors & nurses
Childhood cancer is more common than we may think
Each year in the UK, almost 4,000 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer.
This approximates at around a 1 in 450 chance (1 in 422 for males and 1 in 488 for females) developing cancer by the age of 15.
Childhood cancer remains one of the most common causes of death of children in the UK.
Signs & symptoms of childhood cancer
We have produced the awareness card above to remind you of the signs to look for in children that you see. Remember that if a parent or you are concerned, ask how many times they have seen any health care professional about the problem already.
Parents who are returning multiple times (to any combination of care settings) need to be listened to and the child fully examined.
In many regions of the UK, our awareness cards are now included in the infant Personal Child Health Record (PHCR) as standard to teach parents the signs to look for. To have them added in your area, please speak to the person who orders the books in your region or contact us directly to place an awareness card order.
If you are concerned
Remember, if you are concerned, speak to the child’s GP to voice your concerns or, if this is not possible, ask parents to ensure their child is reviewed within 24 hours.
However, remember that if you are concerned that a child you see is seriously, acutely unwell, please treat them as you would any other child emergency and contact the emergency services immediately.
The Trust were approached by the Institute of Health Visitors and asked to write Good Practice Points for Health Visitors.
You can view the full publication by going to the link below.
