Treatment for Children with Cancer

When your child is diagnosed with cancer, it's normal to feel overwhelmed and unsure about what lies ahead. Understanding what to expect can help you navigate this journey.

How is treating cancer in children different?

A few key differences shape how children's cancer is treated compared to cancer in adults.

• Treatment usually happens at specialized children's cancer centers.
• Children are more likely to be treated as part of a clinical trial.
• Children may get different doses, schedules, or types of treatment than someone older than them with a similar diagnosis.
• Children live many years past treatment, so care considers their long-term health.

Treatment at children’s cancer centers

Children and teens with cancer, and their families, have special needs that can best be met by children’s cancer centers. These centers have teams of specialists who understand how cancers affect children and teens differently than adults.

In the United States, most children and teens with cancer get treatment at a center that is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). These centers specialize in the unique needs of children and teens with cancer and their families. These centers offer clinical trials as part of their treatment options.

Focus on long-term health

Children often live for many decades after cancer treatment. Because of this, your child's cancer care team considers their long-term health when planning treatment, in addition to how well it treats the cancer right now. Some treatments are designed to work just as well while causing less harm to a child's health later in life.

What treatments are used for childhood cancers?

Different types of cancers need different types of treatment. The treatment plan your child’s cancer care team recommends will be based on:

• The type of cancer
• If the cancer has spread
• How fast the cancer is growing
• If clinical trials are available
• Your child’s age
• Your child’s needs and your family’s preferences

Depending on the type of cancer, more than one type of cancer treatment might be used. For example, a child might have radiation or chemotherapy to shrink a tumor before surgery. Or chemotherapy might be given after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Find a cancer type and learn how it is treated.

Why participate in clinical trials for childhood cancer?

Cancer in children is rare. Depending on the type of cancer your child has, there might be clinical trials available. A clinical trial may be the best way for your child to get newer treatments. However, participation in a clinical trial is always your choice.

COG develops clinical trials that are available to children across North America and Oceania. Children with cancer are more likely to be treated on a clinical trial than adults. Children’s cancer centers often have many clinical trials going on at any one time, and in fact, most children treated at these centers take part in a clinical trial as part of their treatment.

Clinical trials help doctors learn more about different types of cancer, why they happen, and how to treat them. Some clinical trials offer new treatments. Because children live for many years after their cancer treatment, some clinical trials look for ways to give less intense treatments. Researchers want to find the best way to treat the cancer with fewer long-term or late effects on the child’s future health.

Learn more about finding a pediatric cancer center and clinical trial.