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September is Pediatric / Childhood Cancers Awareness Month

Pediatric Cancer Facts

Childhood cancer is different from cancer that develops later in life.
Childhood cancers usually do not act like adult cancers and are not treated the same way.
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children between infancy and age 15.
Approximately 10,730 new cases of pediatric cancer are expected to be diagnosed in children 0-14 years of age in 2008.
Of the types of childhood cancers, leukemias and brain & central nervous system tumors account for more than half of new cases.

Learn more by reading A Snapshot of Pediatric Cancers a .pdf document on the National Cancer Institute's website.

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Information: Types of Pediatric / Childhood Cancer

• Leukemia
  Leukemias are the most common childhood cancers. They account for about 33% of all childhood cancers. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) are the most common types of leukemia in children. Learn more on our Childhood Leukemia web page.
• Brain and nervous system cancers
  Brain and other nervous system cancers are the second most common cancers in children, making up about 21% of childhood cancers. Most brain cancers of children involve the cerebellum or brain stem. Adults are more likely to develop cancers in different parts of the brain -- usually the cerebral hemispheres. Spinal cord tumors are less common than brain tumors in both children and adults. Learn more on our Pediatric Brain & Spinal Tumors web page.
• Neuroblastoma
  Neuroblastoma is a form of cancer that starts in certain types of nerve cells found in a developing embryo or fetus. This type of cancer occurs in infants and young children. It is most often found during the first year of life. It is rarely found in children older than 10. Learn more on our Neuroblastoma web page.
• Wilms tumor
  Wilms tumor is a cancer that starts in one, or rarely, both kidneys. It is most often found in children about 3 years old, and is uncommon in children older than age 6. It can show up as a swelling or lump in the belly (abdomen). Wilms tumor accounts for about 5% of childhood cancers. Learn more on our Wilms tumor web page.
• Lymphoma
  Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma (sometimes called Hodgkin disease, Hodgkin's disease, or Hodgkin's lymphoma), are cancers that start in lymph tissues, such as the tonsils, lymph nodes, and thymus.
  • Hodgkin lymphoma can occur in both children and adults, and accounts for about 4% of childhood cancers. It is more common, though, in 2 age groups: early adulthood (age 15 to 40, usually people in their 20s) and late adulthood (after age 55). Hodgkin lymphoma is rare in children younger than 5 years of age. About 10% to 15% of cases are diagnosed in children and teenagers. Learn more on our Hodgkins Disease web page.
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma makes up a little more than 4% of childhood cancers, and can cause symptoms much like those of Hodgkin lymphoma. It can also cause other symptoms depending on where it starts in the body. Learn more on our Non-Hodgkin lymphoma web page.
• Rhabdomyosarcoma
  Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. It makes up a little more than 3% of childhood cancers. This tumor starts in the same embryonic cells that develop into striated (voluntary) muscles. Learn more on our Sarcomas web page
• Retinoblastoma
  Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the eye. It is rare, accounting for just under 3% of childhood cancers. It usually occurs in children under the age of 4, and is seldom found in children older than 6. Learn more on the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center's Retinoblastoma web page.
• Bone cancers
  Primary bone cancers (cancers that start in the bones) occur most often in children and adolescents. Primary bone cancer is different from metastatic bone cancer, which is cancer that has spread from another site to the bone. Metastatic bone cancer is named for the place the cancer came from. For instance, it might be described as prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the bone, or prostate cancer with bone metastasis.
  
  Metastatic bone cancer is more common than primary bone cancer because many types of cancer can spread to the bone. Two types of primary bone cancers occur in children:
  • Osteosarcom is uncommon, accounting for almost 3% of all new childhood cancer cases in the United States. It often causes no pain or symptoms until swelling starts, but sometimes there is bone pain that keeps getting worse. Learn more on our Sarcomas web page
  • Ewing sarcoma is a less common primary bone cancer which can cause bone pain. It is mostly found in adolescents. It accounts for a little more than 1% of childhood cancers. Learn more on our Sarcomas web page

Find other sources of information by visiting our Pediatric / Childhood Cancers Resources web page.

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