The National Cancer Institute (NCI) expected 11,600 new cases of pediatric cancers to be diagnosed in 2021 in children ages 0-14. And although invasive pediatric cancers have increased more than 29 percent in the past 20 years, the survival rate in children with invasive cancer has increased to more than 80 percent, thanks to clinical trials and advancements in the available treatments. Of these surviving children,
3 out of 5 children will experience physical or emotional problems related to their treatment.
Ongoing follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors is important, because these late effects may be significant and chronic. There are over 350,000 adult survivors of children’s cancer in the United States today.
Typically, the cause of childhood cancer is unknown and the factors that trigger cancer in kids are usually different from those that cause cancer in adults.
For example, we know that smoking and certain exposure to environment toxins can result in cancer in adults. This is rarely the cause of cancer in children. In some cases, there may be genetic conditions that put a child at an increased risk of having cancer, such as Down syndrome. In addition, those who’ve previously had chemotherapy or radiation treatment are at an increased risk for a secondary cancer.
In most cases, however, childhood cancers arise from non-inherited changes in the genes of growing cells. Because these errors occur randomly, there’s no effective way to prevent them.
Table of contents
There are 12 Types of Childhood Cancers:
- Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer)
- Brain Cancers (and Brain Stem Tumors)
- DIPG (a type of Brain Stem cancer)
- Leukemia (Blood Cancer)
- Hepatoblastoma (Liver Cancer)
- Lymphoma (Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s)
- Neuroblastoma (Nerve Cancer)
- Retinoblastoma (Eye Cancer)
- Rhabdoid Tumors
- Sarcomas (Soft Tissue Cancer)
- Spinal Cord Tumors
- Wilms Tumor (Kidney Tumors)
Cancer of the Blood – Leukemia
Leukemia, a cancer of the blood, is the most common childhood cancer, accounting for more than 1/3 of all pediatric cancers. Leukemia cells are abnormal immune blood cells that are not functioning properly and crowd out healthy blood cells.
The main components of our blood, produced in the bone marrow, include red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells.
Red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients through the body, while white blood cells fight germs and infection, and platelets help stop bleeding.
Types of Leukemia Include:
- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) – 4 out of 5 children who have Leukemia will have ALL
- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) – About 1 in 5 children who have Leukemia will have AML
- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) – Only about 1 in 50 children who have Leukemia will have CML
- Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML) – Only about 1 in 100 children who have Leukemia will have JMML, mostly affecting children aged 4 and younger.
Cancer of the Lymphatic System – Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. Under normal circumstances, the body’s immune system-consisting of immune cells – finds foreign or abnormal cells and attempts to destroy them.
The immune cells are stored in lymphoid tissues in the body and are called lymphocytes.
When a child has lymphoma, his immune system may not work properly to protect the body, and the abnormal immune cells crowd out the healthy cells in the immune system.
Types of lymphomas include:
- Hodgkin Lymphoma – About 4 out of every 10 children who have Lymphoma will have Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) – About 6 out of every 10 children who have Lymphoma will have Non Hodgkin Lymphoma. There are more than 12 types of Lymphomas that can be diagnosed in children and
teenagers.
The Most Common Types Include:
- Burkitt Lymphoma
- Large B Cell Lymphoma
- Lymphoblastic Lymphoma
- Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.
Cancer of the Bone, Organs or Tissues – Solid Tumors
A solid tumor is a group of abnormal cells stuck together. Tumors can develop in many parts of the body, including the brain, kidneys, liver and bones. These sick cells crowd out healthy cells and keep them from
doing their job.
Types of Solid Tumor Cancers Include:
- Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors, also known as Central Nervous System (CNS) Tumors – CNS tumors are the most common solid tumors in children, with about 1 in 5 children with cancer being diagnosed with a CNS tumor.
Types of CNS tumors include:
- Choroid Plexus Tumor
- Craniopharynigioma
- Glioma (including Astrocytoma, Ependymoma, and Oligodendroglimoa)
- Medulloblastoma/PNET
- Germ Cell Tumors – Germ cell tumors are rare, with only about 3 or 4 of every 100 children being diagnosed with a germ cell tumor. They can also be benign or malignant when diagnosed.
Kidney Cancer
About 6 of every 100 children with cancer will be diagnosed with Kidney Cancer.
Types of Kidney Cancer include:
- Wilms Tumor, also known as Nephroblastoma
- Renal Cell Carcinoma
- Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney
Liver Cancers
Only about 1 or 2 out of every 100 children with cancer will be diagnosed with Liver Cancer.
Types of Liver Cancer include:
- Hepatoblastoma
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).
- Melanoma – Fewer than 1 in 100 children with cancer will have melanoma.
- Neuroblastoma – About 7 out of every 100 children with
cancer will have Neuroblastoma. It is uncommon in older children and
teenagers, usually occurring in infants and young children. - Retinoblastoma – About 3 out of every 100 children with
cancer will have Retinoblastoma, more often seen in infants and young
children under 6 years of age.
Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcomas
About 12 out of every 100 children with cancer will have a sarcoma.
Types of Sarcomas include:
- Osteosarcoma (also called Osteogenic Sarcoma)
- Ewing Sarcoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Non-rhabdomyosarcoma Soft Tissue Sarcomas
- Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor
- Desmoid Tumors (also called Demoid Fibromatosis).
- Thyroid Cancer – Rare in children with only about 1 in
100 children with cancer being diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. Also more
common in teenagers than in younger children.
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