A campaign will start today to raise £1 million to build a dedicated unit for teenagers battling cancer in Bristol.

The charity Teenage Cancer Trust already has 10 specialist units around the UK in which 16- to 24-year-olds are treated alongside other people their age, but it wants to set one up in the Bristol area.

Young people who undergo treatment in the city are either treated at the children's hospital or the oncology centre, but there is currently no provision for the specific needs of those in their teens and early 20s.

About 120 young people are treated for cancer across the South West each year, with many coming to Bristol for specialist care.

Teenage Cancer Trust will be working with University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, who run the children's hospital and oncology centre, and the South West Specialised Commissioning Group, to set up a unit.

CLIC Professor of paediatric oncology in Bristol University and consultant at the children's hospital, Mike Stevens, said that in the South West there are as many 16- to 24-year-olds being diagnosed with cancer each year as youngsters in the under-15 age group.

He said: "When you talk to 17-year-olds they don't want to be in a ward with eight- and nine-year-olds and they don't want to be in a ward with 50- to 60-year-olds. Their needs are not met in those environments.

"There will be a range of issues confronting a young person with cancer, from support through education to how to keep in touch with their peers.

"What we want to do is take the best of both worlds."

The unit will be designed to give teenagers the very best chance of a positive outcome, providing an environment where teenagers can meet others in a similar situation.

Teenage Cancer Trust will also provide a Family Support Network for parents and siblings affected by cancer, and an education team who will visit local schools to educate students and pupils about healthy living and cancer awareness.

Regional appeals manager for Teenage Cancer Trust in the South West, Heather Burns-Mace, said: "Every day in the UK, six teenagers are told they have cancer.

"There are already more young people than children with the disease.

"Being able to talk to people around their own age, going through exactly what they're going through, makes a huge difference."

For more information on Teenage Cancer Trust call Heather Burns-Mace on 07930 320 525.