Gentle words for children, steady plans for parents.
Wilms' tumour, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, hepatoblastoma — treated with paediatric oncology teams, growth-aware surgery and explanations sized to small ears.
How childhood cancers work
Children don’t describe tumours — they show them: a tummy growing unevenly, a limp blamed on playground falls, a white glint caught in a photograph’s flash. Parents notice first; the signs below are theirs, translated.
Childhood cancers play by different biology: most are chemotherapy-sensitive, which is why operations sometimes come second — after drugs have shrunk the target and made it safer to remove.
Surgery here is growth-aware: spare the kidney plate, spare the limb, spare the spine’s future. Coordination with paediatric oncology teams is continuous, not consultative.
● A parent present at induction of anaesthesia where possible — courage is easier borrowed than summoned.
Eight signals children can’t put into words
Any one of these that persists earns an examination. Most will have ordinary explanations — that is precisely what the check-up establishes.
- ①A tummy growing bigger or unevenly.
- ②Any lump, anywhere — checked promptly, not “watched for now”.
- ③Limping, or refusing to walk.
- ④Bruising that multiplies without knocks.
- ⑤Fatigue that outlasts fevers and colds.
- ⑥A white glow in the pupil, especially visible in photographs.
- ⑦Weight loss, or falling off the growth curve.
- ⑧A parent’s instinct that something is off — it counts as a symptom in this department.
Childhood tumours this department treats
◆Wilms’ Tumour
Kidney cancer of early childhood — chemotherapy first, surgery after.
◆Neuroblastoma
Risk-stratified multimodal treatment with paediatric oncology.
◆Rhabdomyosarcoma
Chemotherapy-led protocols with surgery timed to response.
◆Hepatoblastoma
Liver tumour of infancy — resection after downstaging.
◆Teratomas & Sacrococcygeal Tumours
Often mature biology — still removed completely and followed up.
◆Childhood Soft-Tissue Masses
Diagnosed properly first; innocence verified, never assumed.
What makes this department different
- ◆Child-life friendly explanationsWords matched to age; drawings and dolls entirely allowed.
- ◆Chemo-first when appropriateShrinking first can turn a risky mass into a straightforward operation.
- ◆Parent present at anaesthesiaWhere protocols allow, you are there until sleep takes over.
- ◆Growth-aware surgeryOrgans and limbs preserved with decades of childhood ahead in mind.
- ◆Coordinated paediatric teamsOncology, anaesthesia and intensive care aligned on one written plan.
- ◆School-reintegration focusRecovery plans include the classroom, because childhood continues.
From first visit to full recovery
- 10:00
First consultation
The child met as a person, not a scan; parents heard fully, questions welcomed.
- 08:12
Workup & staging
Child-sized protocols; imaging planned gently and without unnecessary repeats.
- 13:26
Family conference
Diagnosis and sequence explained — drugs or surgery first — honestly, by age.
- 09:15
Surgery
Growth-sparing technique with paediatric anaesthesia colleagues throughout.
- 06:04
Daily rounds
Pain scored in faces-and-numbers; parents updated before breakfast.
- 17:40
Beyond discharge
Nutrition, school re-entry and surveillance shared with your treating team back home.
Parents usually ask…
Childhood tumours shrink remarkably with drugs. Starting there can turn an unsafe, blood-heavy mass into a straightforward organ-sparing operation — better odds for the same child.
Among the best in all of oncology — the majority of children are cured, including many diagnosed at advanced stages. Numbers specific to your child’s stage come from the team treating them.
Some treatments can — which is exactly why surgery spares structures aggressively and follow-up tracks height, hormones and development for years afterwards.
By age and by truth: young children need names for feelings and a short story about tomorrow; older children deserve real words. We script it together with you before any conversation happens.
Much of it, yes — plans are coordinated so families aren’t shuttling blind between cities. Chemotherapy often proceeds with your local paediatric oncology unit while surgery and key milestones happen here.