In this situation, doctors may give the option of palliative chemotherapy. This is usually an oral medication that may help keep the tumours under control for as long as possible. Your consultant will discuss the options that may be available to you.

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For many children however, palliative chemotherapy may not be an option and the best option may be to stop the aggressive treatments if they are not having the benefits that were hoped.

Many children already have involvement from palliative care teams by this point for symptom management. If they have not been involved up until now, your child will most likely be referred to the palliative care team along with input from your child's oncology team.

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The aim of palliative care is to give your child the best possible quality of life by managing their symptoms, for example pain or nausea. Specialist palliative care teams should be available to help control symptoms, plan, provide practical help and support the whole family.

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Your consultant may offer referral to a children's hospice (if your child has not already been referred) to help with symptom management, respite and help arrange quality time for the family. For some families, this the help that they need. For others, they are more comfortable at home or in the hospital.

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The important thing is what is right for one family and child may be different for another.

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Your child's care team will usually put together a complex care plan to plan and prepare for all symptoms and eventualities to ensure your child is as comfortable as possible.

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For more information, please see information resources written by the Children's cancer and Leukaemia group under when a child cannot be cured.

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