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Before answering this question, it’s important to understand the types of cancer affecting children, and that the causes of childhood cancer are quite different to those affecting adults.
Several types of cancer are virtually unique to children, but the cancers most often seen in adults – including those of the lung, breast and stomach – are extremely rare in children. Most types of cancer become more common as we get older.
The changes that make a cell become cancerous take a long time to develop. There have to be a number of changes to the genes within a cell – these can happen by accident when the cell is dividing, or they can happen because the cell has been damaged by carcinogens. The damage is then passed on to ‘daughter’ cells when the cell divides.
The longer we live, the more time there is for these genetic mistakes to occur. Children – and especially infants – have had little time to acquire these mistakes. Continue reading to understand what factors can cause childhood cancer.
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