Talking about cancer in schools

Talking about cancer is never easy, and you may feel concerned about saying the wrong thing. It can also be challenging to balance a person’s right to privacy with the need for others to know about their diagnosis. Use your school’s existing well-being and communication guidelines and resources as you provide support.

Learn more about:

• Who gets cancer?
• Talking to someone with cancer
• Respecting privacy
• Appointing a school liaison person
• Understanding differences
• Communicating with people of all ages
• Different views of cancer

Who gets cancer?

An estimated one in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. In Australia, more than 127,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. People over the age of 50 are the most likely to be diagnosed with cancer, and children are the least likely. Unfortunately, however, some children and young people are diagnosed with cancer.

In adult men, the most common forms of cancer are prostate cancer, bowel cancer, melanoma, and lung cancer. Adult women are most often diagnosed with breast cancer, bowel cancer, melanoma, and lung cancer.

Cancer in children and adolescents

In Australia, about 1000 children aged 0–19 develop cancer every year, which means that at any time there are thousands of school students who have had cancer. Advances in diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care mean the overall five-year survival rate for children and adolescents is now more than 80%. This can vary depending on the age of the patient and their cancer type.

Cancers affecting children generally differ from those affecting adults. Childhood cancers commonly occur in different parts of the body and are not usually linked to lifestyle or environmental factors. They tend to be more responsive to chemotherapy, and children often tolerate the treatments better.

Some side effects from treatment may not show up until many months or years later. These are called late effects. This is particularly the case for a child who was treated at a young age. Any student who has survived cancer will need appropriate support for the rest of their school years.

Childhood cancers

The most common types of childhood cancer in Australia are:

• leukaemia – a cancer that affects the blood cells; the two main types are acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia
• brain tumours – the most common types in children are gliomas (starting in the brain’s glial cells) and medulloblastoma (starting in the cerebellum, the lower back part of the brain)
• lymphoma – a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system; the two main types are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• neuroblastoma – a cancer of the nerve cells involved in the development of the nervous system
• sarcoma – a malignant tumour that develops in the bone, muscle or connective tissue.

→ READ MORE: Talking to someone with cancer

Podcast: Explaining Cancer to Kids

Listen to more episodes from our podcast for people affected by cancer