Newcastle University

The seminar will briefly consider some basic features of childhood cancers, and their differences from adult cancers. Geographical, social and temporal variation in childhood cancer rates in Britain will be described, before considering the extent to which the observed worldwide increase in childhood cancer registration rates, with only a few exceptions, reflects improvements in diagnosis/registration, true increases in risk in the populations under surveillance, or both. The implications of this for interpreting the impressive survival gains witnessed will be briefly discussed. Potential influences on childhood cancer risk will then be discussed, including exposure to ionizing radiation, intrauterine/postnatal growth effects, the role of infection contact, and genetic/epigenetic influences on primary childhood cancer occurrence, and subsequent primary tumour risks in relation to administered treatments for the primary occurrence.