Children develop a profile of cancers different from adults and therefore their diagnosis, treatment and prognosis varies. Cancers of the blood (leukaemias) predominate, specifically acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), with brain tumours comprising the second largest group, followed by a variety of solid tumours (eye, kidney, adrenal gland, lymph nodes, liver, muscle and bone), and rarely the gut or the lungs. This is in stark contrast to adult cancers where tumours of the lung, colon, breast and prostate predominate. Some paediatric tumours such as Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), germ cell and bone tumours are more common in adolescents and overlap with the young adult population. In Africa, specific paediatric solid tumours such as endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL), Wilms tumour (WT, nephroblastoma) and retinoblastoma occur commonly.