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Childhood cancer takes the lives of more children in the U.S. than any other disease - in fact, more than many other childhood diseases combined. There are many types (see below) - cancers of the blood (leukemias), as well as solid tumors found in the brain, bones and many other parts of the body.
Children with cancer can not be treated simply as "smaller adults." First, the cancers that strike them are very different from the more common adult cancers, having different causes and needing different treatments. Also, children are being treated while in crucial stages of the development of their bodies and minds, complicating the effects of treatments and often resulting in life-long complications.
Although research over the last 40 years has raised the overall cure rate from virtually none to about 80%, many types of childhood cancer remain very difficult to cure. Progress is also especially slow in curing adolescents and young adults.
Types of childhood cancer:
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer. It is a cancer of the blood system, starting in the bone marrow and percolating out into the blood. These patients have too many immature white blood cells in their blood and bone marrow. Fully developed lymphocytes fight infection by attacking germs and other harmful bacteria in the body, whereas lymphoblasts are harmful.
Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors are cancers of the brain and brain stem. They are the most common solid tumors of childhood and they have the highest mortality rate of the childhood cancers. Types include medulloblastoma, PNET, germ cell tumors, high-grade and low-grade gliomas, ependymoma, astrocytoma and more.
Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is a very rare type of kidney tumor. It is not recognizable as different from Wilms tumore before removal of the tumor, but requires a different treatment.
Ewing Sarcoma is a less common form of bone tumor, affecting mostly children ages five and older. These tumors form in the cavity of the bone.
Hodgkin disease is a type of lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. It affects teens most commonly, but also younger children. The lymph system is present throughout the body and helps fight infections. Hodgkin disease can start almost anywhere and then spread to almost any organ or tissue, including the liver, bone marrow and spleen.
Myeloid leukemias are more rare and difficult to cure than the more common Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). In leukemia, the bone marrow produces large numbers of abnormal blood cells which flood the bloodstream and lymph system and may invade vital organs. The most common cancer of the myeloid cells is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Others include Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML), Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), and Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). While adults are much more likely to get AML than children, treatment for children with AML is different from that of adults.
Neuroblastoma is a cancer of the sympathetic nervous system, a nerve network outside the brain. Neuroblastoma tumors can grow in the abdomen, neck or pelvis. The average age of diagnosis is 2, and it is rare in children over 10 years old.
Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas are cancers of the cells of the immune system (T and B lymphocytes, natural killer cells). Cells of the immune system are produced in the bone marrow and then travel to all the lymph glands, the thymus gland, areas of the intestinal tract, tonsils, and spleen, so a lymphoma can develop in any of those sites. The four major subtypes of NHL in children are Lymphoblastic, Burkitts, Large B cell, and Anaplastic large cell.
Osteogenic sarcoma (or osteosarcoma) is the most frequently diagnosed type of bone tumor, usually found in adolescents and young adults. Tumors are most often in the large bones of the upper arm (humerus) and the leg (femur and tibia).
Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the retinoblasts, or "baby" cells in the retina, responsible for vision. Retinoblastoma occurs most often in children from birth to age 3. About 40% of these children have the genetic form of the disease; with every cell in the retina susceptible to tumor formation, usually both eyes are affected. The other 60% have the non-genetic type, affecting only one eye. Since removal of the eye can cure most children research is now focused on preserving vision.
Rhabdoid tumor of the kidney is a very rare type of kidney tumor, and rhabdoid tumors can occur in other places of the body, as well. Researchers have found a specific gene mutation that leads to rhabdoid tumors.
Soft tissue sarcomas can be found anywhere in the body. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a tumor that arises in the muscle cells, and is the most common type in children under age ten. The other soft tissue tumors are more rare and tend to be found in adolescents. They include fibrosarcomas, synovial sarcomas, malignantperipheral nerve tumors, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and others even more rare. Some soft tissue tumors are similar to those found in adults, while others are very unique to children.
Wilms Tumor accounts for about 90% of kidney tumors in children. About 95% of children with this tumor have a "favorable histology" (better cure rate with less treatment) as determined by the pattern the pathologist sees in the tumor cells. The other 5% have anaplastic Wilms tumor, which is much more resistant to treatment.
Other Rare Childhood Cancers There are many types that are so rare it is difficult to do research on them. However, "rare" is a relative term, as these account for about 15% of childhood cancers, jumping to 30% if adolescents are included. Rare childhood cancers include germ cell tumors, liver tumors (hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma), adrenocortoco carcinoma, colon cancer, melanoma, nasalpharangyal cancer, thyroid tumors and others.
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