The Changing Faces of Childhood Cancer: Clinical and Cultural Visions since 1940

Childhood cancer is an ever-changing illness. Before the Second World War, it was a rare and usually hopeless condition. Few doctors could ever expect to see a case, and with hindsight it is clear that many died without ever receiving a diagnosis. In the 1950s, however, as concerns grew about the health effects of radiation, the true scale of cancer in children was recognised. 1960s chemotherapy research seemed to show enormous promise for childhood cancers, which often spread too fast to be curable otherwise. Children with cancer were thrust into the spotlight as newspapers featured individual patients' stories of hope, fuelling public calls for more support for research. Childhood cancer services in Britain developed along a unique path, informed by the role of radiotherapists and paediatricians in early research, and furthered by the ethos of the National Health Service, extending the best possible all-round care to all in need. This book traces the development of British answers to the problem of childhood cancer.