This article argues that the costs children incur during treatment for cancer should
be rendered visible. As economic agents, children expend time, engage in productive
work and participate in activities. Each of these aspects of daily life can be
affected by cancer and/or its therapy and can be considered costs of illness. This
article challenges researchers to consider eliciting children's views and
assessments of these costs to illustrate more fully the impact of cancer on children
and their childhoods. The resulting findings will provide a more accurate account of
the social and economic costs incurred by families over the course of
children's treatment trajectories. Ultimately, such information could be
used to lobby for changes which would improve the life circumstances of children and
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