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Emotional impact of cancer

	Coming to terms with the reality of a life-threatening illness is often very tough and frightening for the child and their family.

An emotional journey

Young children with cancer will have to cope with the worry or discomfort of treatment, and being separated from parents, family and friends and familiar surroundings while in hospital.

For older children and teenagers, having cancer makes them feel more dependent right at the time they want to be independent. They will have to deal with the shock of the diagnosis, as cancer is typically an illness that affects people in their 60s. They also may have misconceptions about cancer, and assume they will die.

Teenagers with cancer have said the hardest things to deal with are being out of school and away from their friends, and coping with the side effects, some of which may mean they will look and feel different to their peers. For adolescents in general it’s a time of physical (puberty) and psychological change, so being diagnosed with cancer can lead to anxiety and frustration because they see themselves unable to develop at the pace and in the way their peers are developing.


	I felt shocked and surprised, but not really scared. I did feel depressed when I began treatment. It was frustrating because I had to miss out on a lot of school stuff during that time. I had a Macmillan nurse, Julie, who has been my friend as well as my nurse.Adam

They may also have to cope with being away from home and in hospital, being put into wards with young children or older people, having no privacy, being bored, and having to learn lots of new information which can be overwhelming. They may also be worried about further health problems, or feel guilty about being alive whilst someone else they’ve known with cancer has died. Talking about their feelings with family, friends or an experienced listener is very useful.

Both children and teenagers with cancer can become very sensitive to the reactions of family, friends and classmates, so helping them to feel as they did before the cancer diagnosis is important.

More information and support

For more information and support for children and young people with or affected by cancer contact our Macmillan CancerLine by calling 0808 808 2020 or email cancerline@macmillan.org.uk Or, check out the useful resources on this website for other sources of support.