Cancer is relatively rare in children. Most cancers (98%) develop in adults, especially in people past middle age. About one out of every six adults will develop cancer during his or her lifetime, while about one out of every 330 children under age 20 will develop cancer.
Cancer begins when cells in the body become abnormal and grow uncontrollably. In most types of cancer, these abnormal cells form a solid growth of tissue, called a tumor. In leukemia, a cancer of the blood and blood-forming organs that starts in the bone marrow, these abnormal cells rarely form a solid tumor, but instead crowd other types of cells in the bone marrow. This prevents the production of normal red blood cells, other white blood cells, and platelets (blood components needed for clotting).
Cancer in children most often forms in the parts of their bodies that are still growing and changing, such as their blood system, brain, and kidneys. In general, cancers that occur in children behave differently than cancers in adults.
Childhood cancer is a general term used to describe a range of cancer types found in children. Below are the most common types of cancer in children 14 and under. For more information on each type, select a name below.
- Leukemia (accounts for about 32.7% of childhood cancer cases)
- Brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers (20.7%), including cancers of the spinal cord
- Neuroblastoma (6.9%), a cancer of immature nerve cells frequently arising in the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys and are part of the body’s endocrine (hormonal) system
- Wilms tumor (4.8%), a cancer of the kidney
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (4.3%) and Hodgkin lymphoma (3.7%), cancers that begin in the lymph system
- Rhabdomyosarcoma (3.5%), a type of cancer that begins in the striated muscle, which are the skeletal voluntary muscles that people can control
- Retinoblastoma (2.7%), a cancer of the eye
- Osteosarcoma (2.7%) and Ewing's sarcoma (1.4%), cancers that begin in the bone
- Germ cell tumors, a rare cancer that begins in the special cells that become the testicles in men and ovaries in women
- Pleuropulmonary blastoma, a rare lung cancer that begins in the chest
Cancer in teenagers and young adults
In most cases, teenagers and young adults who have cancer should be treated at a pediatric oncology center, so they will have access to the latest treatments and receive coordinated care by a team of doctors. This is especially true for teenagers who have lymphoma, leukemia, and bone tumors. The few exceptions are teenagers with such adult cancers as melanoma, testicular cancer, and ovarian cancer. In these situations, it is appropriate for teenagers to receive treatments that are similar to adults, but also be given access to age-appropriate support programs for their social and emotional needs. Learn more about Age-Specific Information.
Below are the most common types of cancer in teenagers, ages 15 to 19. For more information on each type, select a name below.
Neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, and ependymoma are uncommon in teenagers, accounting for less than 1% of cancers in teenagers when combined.
Statistics
Cancer, although uncommon in children and teenagers, is the second leading cause of death in children and adolescents. However, most children and teens diagnosed with cancer can be treated successfully.
In 2009, an estimated 10,730 children (younger than 14) will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States. It is estimated that 1,380 deaths from cancer will occur this year, nearly one-third from leukemia. Since 1975, the number of deaths from childhood cancer has decreased by almost 50%.
As explained above, there are several types of childhood cancer, and survival rates are different for each. In general, the overall five-year relative survival rate (the percentage of people who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) of children with cancer is around 80%.
The overall five-year survival rate of teenagers (ages 15 to 19) with cancer is 76%. For teenagers with cancers such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, germ cell tumors, thyroid cancer, and melanoma, the five-year survival rate is 90% or greater.
Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of cases of this type of cancer, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with a particular childhood cancer. Because the survival statistics are measured in five-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer.
Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts and Figures 2009 and the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database.
Find out more about basic cancer terms used in this section.
Last Updated: August 06, 2008
