Ninety children aged seven to 13 were interviewed by children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent for the study, which was commissioned by the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, to assess the impact cancer and treatment have on a child’s life.
The study looked particularly at the effect on their education, friendships and family life, and found that the poor approach to joint working resulted in children missing out and falling behind at school, struggling to maintain friendships and to fit in as part of a wider social group.
The results published in a new report, The Impact of Cancer on a Child’s World, found children also said that visible effects such as hair loss and weight gain made them feel different to their peers and fatigue often prevented them from taking part in physical and social activities.
A number of suggestions were made, with some children saying they would like to be given a choice of how medication is administered to help reduce treatment-related anxiety, as well as wanting treatment closer to home.
Some also questioned the choice and quality of hospital food available.
CLIC Sargent suggested each child or young person with cancer would benefit from a key worker who could coordinate their clinical, emotional and practical care, so that they could spend more time closer to home and experience less disruption to their education, friendships and family life.
Lorraine Clifton, chief executive at CLIC Sargent, said: "Cancer and its treatment have a huge impact on every aspect of a child’s world, so it’s important that children with cancer get the emotional and practical help they need, as well as clinical care, so they can keep up with everyday life and feel ‘normal’ again.
"Younger children don’t usually get the chance to share their views with policymakers, so we’re delighted that some of the children we support have had the opportunity to express their needs, and that their experiences can help inform the current review of cancer strategy," she added.
