ABSTRACT
Malignant tumours are rare in children, with an incidence of around 1 in 500 children per year in the UK accounting for just over 1500 cases per year. The greatest incidence is under the age of 5 years when around half of all paediatric cancers are diagnosed. Childhood cancer is the most common cause of death in the age groups up to 14 years. Leukaemias account for 32 per cent of cancer deaths in children and central nervous system (CNS) tumours for 30 per cent.
