ABSTRACT
Leukaemia is the commonest childhood malignancy with 400-450 new cases per year in the UK. This gives a prevalence of 3.5 per 100000 children under the age of 15 years. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) accounts for 75% of cases; the peak age is 2-6 years, and it is slightly more common in boys (1.2M:1F). Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the third most common childhood malignancy, and it can be thought of as ‘lumpy leukaemia’. The peak age is 7-10 years and it is three times more common in boys than in girls. Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in older children and is four times more common in boys.
