Pakistan is a developing country with a population of about 180 million people out of which 39% are under 15 years of age. Although malnutrition and communicable diseases are still the major killers, cancer is becoming an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children. The childhood cancer is more often diagnosed now due to better diagnostic facilities and availability of treatment centers. However the awareness about childhood cancer among doctors and general population is still very poor.

Cancer among children is fortunately less common than in adult accounting for 3% to 5% of all cancers. Based on Karachi Cancer Registry it is estimated that about 7000 to 7500 children get cancer every year in Pakistan. The relative frequency of various childhood cancers seen at Children Cancer Hospital is shown as under

Major issues of childhood cancer in Pakistan are:

• Late diagnosis and advanced staged disease
• Insufficient specialized units
• Shortage of trained human resources
• Inability to afford treatment
• Lack of awareness and nihilistic approach to cancer