What are the symptoms of childhood cancer?

A child may look pale, lose interest in usual activities, sweat at night, or have repeated infections. Other changes include headaches with vomiting, a swollen abdomen, unexplained weight change, limping, bone pain, or a pupil that looks unusual in photographs. Childhood cancer presents with different patterns depending on the tissue involved. These signs are often caused by common childhood illnesses, but persistence or progression deserves review.

Record when the change began, how often it occurs, and whether it affects sleep, eating, play, or school. Arrange a paediatric assessment for a symptom that persists, keeps returning, or is getting worse. The clinician may examine the child and decide whether blood tests or imaging are appropriate. If cancer is diagnosed, the team can discuss Chemotherapy, Proton Therapy, and fertility preservation when relevant to the child’s treatment plan.

Seek urgent care for difficulty breathing, a seizure, sudden weakness, severe headache with vomiting, uncontrolled bleeding, marked drowsiness, or a rapidly enlarging swelling. Contact the child’s clinician promptly for persistent fever, unexplained bruising, a new lump, ongoing pain, or a noticeable change in behaviour or movement. The symptom’s severity and persistence guide urgency.

What could explain these changes? What examination or tests are appropriate? Which symptoms should I monitor at home? If treatment is needed, how might it affect school, fertility, and later follow-up?