1. ¹UKCCSG, 3rd Floor Hearts of Oak House, 9 Princess Road West, Leicester LE1 6TH, UK
2. ²The Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK

Correspondence: Dr S Ablett, E-mail: sea4@le.ac.uk

Received 25 June 2002; Revised 13 February 2003; Accepted 26 March 2003.

Abstract

The UK Children's Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG), established in 1977, provides a highly organised structure for both service provision and research, and represents the model to which the adult cancer community is currently aspiring. Since childhood cancer is so rare, it is both essential and feasible for the vast majority of children to be referred into the network of specialist centres, and also for the maximum number of children to be recruited into national and international clinical trials. Over the last 30–40 years there have been major advances in treatment, such that now approximately 70% of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured of their disease. The conduct of clinical trials in this patient population does, however, raise a number of specific issues and these are discussed in the paper.