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Types Of Childhood Cancers...
Types Of Childhood Cancers
Acute
lymphocytic (lymphoblastic) leukemia (ALL) is the most common
childhood cancer and accounts for about 30% of all childhood cancers.
Wilms
tumor is a cancer that may affect one or both kidneys. It is
most often found in children between 2 and 3 years old.
Neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma
is the most common extracranial (outside of the
brain) solid tumor in children and most often diagnosed during the
first year of life. This tumor can appear anywhere but usually occurs
in the abdomen (stomach) as a swelling.
Retinoblastoma is
a cancer of the eye. Although relatively rare, it accounts for 5%
of childhood blindness.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is
the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. The tumor originates
from the same embryonic cells that develop into striated (voluntary)
muscles.
Central
nervous system (brain and spinal cord) cancers are the
second most common cancers in children. 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.
Bone
cancer is uncommon, comprising approximately 0.2% of
all new cancer cases in the US. The incidence of primary bone cancer
(cancers starting in bones) is highest in children and adolescents,
but metastatic bone cancer, or cancer that has spread to the bone,
is more common than primary bone cancer in all age groups.
Osteosarcoma is
the most common type of primary bone cancer in children and young
adults.
Ewing
sarcoma is a less common primary bone cancer that occurs
mostly in children and adolescents.
Hodgkin
lymphoma, sometimes called Hodgkin disease (or Hodgkin's
disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma), is a cancer that starts in lymphatic
tissue. Lymphatic tissue includes the lymph nodes and related organs
that are part of the body's immune and blood-forming systems. Hodgkin
lymphoma can occur in both children and adults. It is more common,
though, in 2 age groups: early adulthood (age 15 to 40, usually 25
to 30) and late adulthood (after age 55). Hodgkin lymphoma is rare
before 5 years of age. About 10% to 15% of cases are diagnosed in
children 16 years of age and younger.
Non-Hodgkin
lymphoma is the third most common childhood malignancy
and occurs approximately 1½ times as often as Hodgkin lymphoma
in childhood. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts
in
Edited and Compiled by: Kevin Hart MA
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