What is Cancer?
What is Cancer? |
| Cancer is a disease where the cells of the body are out of control. Body cells normally work in a controlled way. With cancer, the cells grow in an uncontrolled way. They damage the part of the body where they first started (primary tumour) and can spread to other parts of the body (secondary tumour or metastasis). Children's cancers are rare. In Victoria, there are over 200 children diagnosed with cancer each year. There are many different types of cancer. The most common children's cancers are Leukaemias, Brain Tumours and Lymphoma. Children's cancers are different to adult cancers. Things that cause adult cancer such as smoking and chemicals aren't obvious causes of children's cancers. They look different under a microscope and respond differently to treatment. Cure rates for children's cancers are higher than those for adults. For more information regarding children's cancers please refer to The Information Book Edition 2.1, section 4:1. |