Abstract

Childhood cancer has assumed a greater significance in modern paediatric practice because the control of other causes of death in childhood, notably infection and perinatal problems, has meant that childhood cancer is the most important fatal disease in children after the first year of life. Childhood cancer must be viewed as a family illness; support for the child and his family is of paramount importance. Along with advances in treatment, concern for the psychosocial impact and the quality of life assumes particular importance as the prospects for survival increase. Thus, the focus of this book is the physical and psychosocial care of children and their families through all phases of treatment. The psychological, social and other non-medical needs of sick children and their families have not been forgotten in the preoccupation with highly technical treatments and hospital routines. It is recognised throughout the book that meeting these needs is just as important for the health of the children and their families. The contributors to "The Child with Cancer - Nursing Care" are all nurses whose collective experience extends over the whole range of paediatric oncology, and the aim of the book is to bring together information on current approaches to the management of childhood cancer.