The number of children with blood cancer has risen by almost 30 percent over the past 20 years, according to Leukaemia Foundation figures.
The foundation said that, if this trend continued, more than 400 children aged between five and 14 a year could be diagnosed with the illness over the next decade.
The cancer was “the single biggest disease threatening the lives of school-aged children in Australia today”.
“This year alone, around 350 children will be diagnosed with blood cancer,” the foundation CEO Chris Tanti said in a statement released today.
“It now accounts for more than one in three childhood cancers, yet remains a largely hidden national tragedy.”
Mr Tanti said a blood cancer diagnosis “was sudden and brutal”.
“Children are forced out of classrooms and into hospital wards, enduring aggressive treatment that can last years,” he said.
“Many miss 40 to 60 percent of school in their first year alone, with some absent for up to 18 months. The impacts on learning, wellbeing and social development are profound and long-lasting.”
Mr Tanti’s comments came as the foundation launched the annual World’s Greatest Shave fundraising project for 2026.
Participants raise money by shaving, cutting or colouring their hair. You can register to participate in the World’s Greatest Shave at worldsgreatestshave.com or call 1800 500 088.
