Children's Cancer Foundation

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Children's Cancer Foundation  About Childhood Cancer  Childhood Cancer FAQ

Childhood Cancer FAQ

1. Is cancer contagious?

No.  Cancer is not contagious.  Cancer cannot be spread from one child to another.  Children suffering from cancer are patients with low immunity and are vulnerable to infections.

2. Why are childhood cancer patients bald?

Their baldness is temporary.  Childhood cancer patients lose their hair because of the side effects of chemotherapy.  Their hair will grow back after treatment.

3. Are childhood cancers inherited?

No.  Over 90% of the cancers in children occur spontaneously with unknown causes.

4. Is childhood cancer a death sentence?

No.  Most childhood cancers are curable.

5. Are all tumours cancerous?

No.  Not all tumours are cancerous.  Tumours can be benign and malignant.  Malignant tumours are cancers.

6. Is there anything we should avoid eating or doing to prevent childhood cancer?

Preventive measures are limited as there is nothing a child can do to induce cancer.

7. Can domestic appliances such as cookers and ovens at home induce cancer in children?

No.  There is no scientific evidence on this.

8. How many ways are there to treat childhood cancer?

There is a variety of treatment approaches in the cure of different kinds of childhood cancer.  Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and haemopoietic stem cell transplant are the commonly used treatment approaches.

9. Is haemopoietic stem cell transplant a surgical procedure like an organ transplant?

No.  Haemopoietic stem cell transplant is the transplant of blood stem cells derived from the bone marrow or blood.  It includes three types of transplant, namely bone marrow transplant, peripheral blood stem cell transplant and umbilical cord blood transplant.