As students across Australia return to school for the new year, hundreds of desks will remain empty – not because of enrolment shifts or absenteeism, but because children are fighting what the Leukaemia Foundation describes as the single biggest disease threatening the lives of school-aged children: blood cancer.
This World Cancer Day, the foundation is drawing attention to the profound and often overlooked impact blood cancer has on education, with hundreds of Australian children forced out of classrooms each year for lengthy and disruptive periods of treatment.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), in 2026 alone, around 350 Australian children will be newly diagnosed with blood cancer, the most common and life-threatening childhood cancer in the country. Thousands more are already living with the disease, enduring aggressive treatments that can remove them from school for months – and in some cases, years.
Leukaemia Foundation CEO Mr Chris Tanti said blood cancer now accounts for more than one in three cancers affecting school-aged children, yet remains a largely hidden national tragedy.
“No other disease in Australia is threatening the lives of children on the same scale as blood cancer,” Mr Tanti said. “Far too many kids are fighting for their lives and swapping classrooms for hospital rooms when they should be learning, playing and laughing with friends.”
The scale of the issue is growing. AIHW data shows that over the past 20 years, blood cancer incidence among children aged five to 14 has increased by almost 30 per cent. The foundation warns that if the trend continues, more than 400 children a year could face a diagnosis within the next decade – with catastrophic consequences for families, schools and education systems.
A diagnosis is often sudden and immediately disrupts schooling. Children are abruptly removed from their classrooms, peers and teachers and thrust into prolonged and isolating hospital-based treatment. Many undergo chemotherapy and targeted therapies, experience lengthy hospital stays, and suffer severe side effects that can last months, years, or even a lifetime.
For many children, treatment lasts up to three years. In the first year alone, students frequently miss between 40 and 60 per cent of school, with some absent for six to 18 months or more.
The educational impacts are significant and enduring. Fatigue, anxiety and cognitive effects – often referred to as “chemo brain” – can severely disrupt learning and concentration, creating academic gaps that persist well beyond treatment. Returning to school presents further challenges, as students attempt to catch up academically while continuing to manage ongoing medical appointments during school hours.
While hospital school programs and remote learning options can provide some continuity, Mr Tanti said they cannot fully replace the classroom experience.
“From an academic perspective, there may be partial continuity, but the social impacts are also significant,” he said.
More than 70 per cent of young cancer patients report feeling socially isolated during treatment. Many say they feel “different” when they return to school due to hair loss, visible scars, or the need for protective health measures. Important social and developmental milestones – including school camps, excursions, sporting seasons, birthday parties and formals – are often missed.
For adolescents in particular, these disruptions can affect identity formation, body image and independence, contributing to longer-term mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress.
Schools are not only witnessing the impact of blood cancer on students – they are also playing a key role in the national response. Launched nationally last week, the Leukaemia Foundation’s flagship fundraising campaign, the World’s Greatest Shave, is calling on the community to shave, cut or colour their hair to raise vital funds for support services and research.
“Our goal is to raise $12 million this year, but we simply cannot do it alone,” Mr Tanti said. “Schools are in fact one of the biggest contributors to the World’s Greatest Shave, with thousands of students taking part each year, highlighting just how deeply blood cancer affects school communities.”
Funds raised support a range of services for families, including accommodation during treatment, transport assistance, education and information, and practical, financial, emotional and mental health support – regardless of where families live. The foundation also invests in blood cancer research aimed at improving treatments and preventing future diagnoses.
As World Cancer Day is marked today, the Leukaemia Foundation is urging educators, students and school communities to recognise the hidden toll blood cancer is taking on learning and wellbeing – and to stand with the children whose education has been interrupted by serious illness.
To support the World’s Greatest Shave, visit worldsgreatestshave.com or call 1800 500 088.
