Overview of childhood cancer

[Couch Potatoe]

Cancer is rare among children. In the United States, there are fewer than 13,500 cases and about 1,500 deaths each year among children aged birth to 14 years. In comparison, there are 1.4 million cases and 575,000 deaths annually among adults. However, cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death among children, following only injuries. About 33% of childhood cancers are leukemia. Some other cancers include brain tumors, lymphoma, and certain bone cancers (osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma of bone). About 25% of childhood cancers are brain tumors, about 8% are lymphomas, and about 4% are bone cancers.
Cancers that occur only in children are

Neuroblastoma
Retinoblastoma
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Wilms tumor

In contrast to many adult cancers, cancers in children tend to be much more curable. Over 75% of children with cancer survive at least 5 years. Currently, it is estimated that there are 350,000 adult survivors of childhood cancer in the United States.