October 3rd 2026, Croke Park

Register Soon

October 3rd 2026, Croke Park

Register

Highlighting the lived experience of patients, families and survivors

Register
View Schedule
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

6th Annual CAYAS
Conference

We are delighted to announce that our 6th Annual CAYAS (Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers & Survivorship) Conference will take place on Saturday 3rd October 2026 in Croke Park Stadium.

Hosted by Childhood Cancer Ireland and CanTeen Ireland

Childhood Cancer Ireland and CanTeen Ireland are dedicated to creating and hosting an event that highlights the lived experience of parents, patients, families and survivors by providing them with a platform to collaborate and connect with medical experts, health care researchers, and others.

The F Words

In 2026, the theme of the conference is The F Words. 

The theme of this year’s Childhood Cancer Conference is The F Words – Functioning, Family, Fitness, Fun, Friends and Future.
 
These six words can help guide how we think about life after childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer, placing the focus not solely on diagnosis or treatment, but on the whole child / young person and the life they want to live.
 
These principles were put forward in 2011 by Dr. Peter Rosenbaum and Dr. Jan Willem Gorter and developed for use in childhood development by Canadian organisation CanChild. The F Words are equally relevant to childhood cancer and survivorship, a time when children, young people and families are navigating everyday life – friendships, school, identity, independence, wellbeing and hopes for the future.
 
Through this conference, we hope to create space for meaningful conversations that look beyond treatment and explore the wider experiences of childhood cancer. By focusing on the F Words, we aim to highlight the importance of quality of life, participation, connection and long-term wellbeing for children, young people, survivors and their families.

We will hear directly from patients, parents and survivors as we explore the scaffolding that is, or should be, built around families to support them throughout their cancer experience. 

Conference
Programme

Call for
Abstracts

Art
Exhibition

2025 Highlights

View last year’s conference highlights. The 2025 programme included a parallel programme for young people and siblings, as well as opportunities to hear from young people, parents and other experts throughout the day. There is plenty of time for networking and catching up with colleagues and friends, as well as visiting the exhibition stands and poster presentations.

Why You Should Attend

Great Speakers

Networking

Hear From Experts

Select Event Speakers

Dr Margaret Flood

Assistant Professor in Inclusive Education at Maynooth University

Sinéad O’Driscoll

Senior physiotherapist, CHI at Crumlin

Dr. Mairead Brennan

Director of Psychosocial Services, Childhood Cancer Ireland

Sarah O’Neill

Adolescent cancer survivor

View all speakers and full details
register-icon

Register Today!

The CAYAS conference is aimed at anyone who has been impacted by childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer and anyone who is working in the area or has a research interest in this topic.

Register

What Our Visitors Say

"I felt it offered really interesting insights from the perspective of both the young person and the medical team and was great to see that the more fully rounded approach to addressing the impacts of cancer. "
"Amazing to chat to other parents who know how I feel. Enlightening and comforting to see we all had the same answers to the questions."
"Excellent conference - so interesting and so many different organisations involved - absolutely enjoyed every minute of the day."
"Brilliant multi-disciplinary approach to care and insights from individual specialties was a great mix."

Conference 2025 Gallery

A snapshot of last year’s CAYAS conference.
View Full Gallery

Kindly supported by

We are grateful for the support of CHI at Crumlin and the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), both of whom have recognised the value of this conference from the beginning and lend their expertise and support to ensure that the patient voice is heard and valued.