How parents are clueless over the tell-tale signs of cancer in kids… so do YOU know all 42 classic symptoms?

Two-thirds of adults are not confident they can spot early signs of cancer in children, a survey has found.

And only one in ten have some of the most subtle symptoms.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham and children’s cancer charities surveyed 1,000 adults on how effectively they could spot 42 classic signs of childhood cancer.

On average, the participants – including parents – recognized only 11 in total.

Just under half knew that lumps or swellings in the pelvis, breast or testicle are potential cancer symptoms.

This chart highlights some of the lesser-known signs of cancer in children, including early/late puberty, developmental delays, slow growth, slow recovery from bone injuries, limited or abnormal facial movements, and hearing problems

Blood in urine or stool (44 percent), changes in moles (43 percent) and weight loss (40 percent) were other recognized symptoms.

All are also markers of the disease in adults.

But many more subtle signs, including some unique to childhood cancer, were little known.

Only 10 percent of adults saw early or late puberty as a possible sign of cancer.

Puberty is determined by changes in hormone production. Tumors can disrupt the process, speeding it up or slowing it down.

The average age at which girls start puberty is 11 years, while for boys it is 12 years. Although this can start as early as eight years old.

Another sign of cancer that might be overlooked in younger children is developmental delays; only 11 percent of adults are aware that this could be a sign of the disease.

This is the case when babies fail to reach developmental milestones such as walking, crawling or motor control with the hands for a certain number of months of life.

Other subtle signs of cancer included a slow recovery after a bone injury such as a broken arm, with only 14 percent of respondents recognizing this.

The authors of the report published their findings in the journal Archives of diseases in childhood.

Other possible cancer symptoms on the list included symptoms that could be confused with a host of other childhood illnesses, such as fever or difficulty swallowing.

The authors said their findings showed the need for an education campaign about the signs of cancer in children.

“Awareness-raising has been highlighted in Britain as a key strategy for the early diagnosis of cancer, but there has been little attention to childhood cancer,” they wrote.

‘The perceived rarity of cancer in children is a major barrier to early diagnosis.

‘Although the number of cases may be small compared to cancer in adults, the cumulative risk from birth to early adulthood is comparable to that of other childhood diseases.

‘This needs to be communicated to the public because parents tend to associate common symptoms with common childhood diseases, but not with cancer.’

They added that since the symptoms of cancer in children can often mimic common ailments, public awareness of the symptoms could be key to detecting cases early, when they are most treatable.

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death in children over 12 months in the UK, and a leading cause of acquired disability in young people.

An estimated 1,800 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed in Britain each year, with 250 deaths.

NHS figures on cancer waiting times showed that only six in ten (62.6 percent) cancer patients were seen within the two-month target. According to NHS guidelines, 85 percent of cancer patients should be seen within this time frame. This target has not been achieved nationally since December 2015

Survival varies considerably by type of cancer. A total of 84 percent are still alive five years after diagnosis.

In the US the figures are much higher, with 15,000 cases of cancer occurring annually in people under the age of 20.

It should be noted that many of the potential cancer symptoms in the list of 42 can also be caused by a number of less serious conditions and diseases.

The study authors said their study had some potential limitations.

As with other surveys, volunteers may have been tempted to provide answers they thought the researchers wanted to hear, rather than a true reflection of their own knowledge.

Researchers also acknowledged that their sample of 1,000 adults did not include many people from the younger demographic.