Childhood Cancers
The pediatric oncology program provides comprehensive treatment programs for most childhood cancers. As an active participant in cooperative national trials through the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG), pediatric oncology offers the most advanced treatments available for childhood cancers. As a national POG resource, our cytogenics laboratory, the first in the state, is engaged in leukemia cell research to find the best treatment methods for childhood cancers.
In the United States, approximately 8,600 children were diagnosed with cancer and about 1,500 children died from the disease in 2001. While this makes childhood cancers the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children under age 15, cancer is still relatively rare in this age group, with, on average, 1 to 2 children developing the disease each year for every 10,000 children in the United States.
Among the 12 major types of childhood cancers, leukemias (blood cell cancers) and brain and other central nervous system tumors account for over one-half of the new cases. About one-third of childhood cancers are leukemias; approximately 2,700 children (younger than 15 years) were diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. The most common type of leukemia in children is acute lymphocytic leukemia. The most common solid tumors are brain tumors (e.g., gliomas and medulloblastomas), with other solid tumors (e.g., neuroblastomas, Wilms’ tumors, and rhabdomyosarcomas) being less common.
Over the past 20 years, there has been some increase in the incidence of childhood cancers. During this same time, however, death rates declined dramatically and survival increased for most childhood cancers. For example, the five-year survival rates for all childhood cancers combined increased from 55.7 percent in 1974–76 to 77.1 percent in 1992–97. This improvement in survival rates is due to significant advances in treatment, resulting in cure or long-term remission for a substantial proportion of kids with childhood cancers.
Learn more about childhood cancers the Brenner Children’s Hospital web site.
Childhood Cancers