cancer information
One of the first steps when dealing with cancer is to learn all you can about the specific disease. When armed with the right knowledge, everything becomes a little easier.
To that end, a couple of great websites to check out are the American Cancer Society and CureSearch. Both of these websites have a wealth of valuable information on childhood cancers. Additionally, below is a list of some of the more common types of childhood cancer with links to their specific area on the American Cancer Society website.
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) is a cancer that starts from white blood cells called lymphocytes in the bone marrow (the soft inner part of the bones, where new blood cells are made), and in most cases it quickly moves into the blood. It accounts for 75% of all childhood leukemias, and it accounts for about 30% of all childhood cancers. It is the most common childhood cancer.
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is a cancer that starts in cells that would normally develop into different types of blood cells. It starts in the bone marrow (the soft inner part of the bones, where new blood cells are made), and in most cases it quickly moves into the blood. It accounts for 19% of all childhood leukemias.
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.
Brain and Spinal Cord Cancers are the second most common childhood cancers. 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.
Ewing sarcoma is a less common primary bone cancer that occurs mostly in children and adolescents.
Hepatoblastoma is a very rare kind of cancer that develops in children, usually younger than 4 years old. It originates in the liver.
Hodgkin Lymphoma, sometimes called Hodgkin Disease, 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. About 10% to 15% of cases are diagnosed in children 16 years of age and younger, but it is rare before 5 years of age.
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML) is a rare type of leukemia that is neither chronic nor acute. It occurs most often in young children (under age 4). Symptoms can include pale skin, fever, cough, trouble breathing (due to too many white blood cells in the lungs), and an enlarged spleen and lymph nodes.
Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial (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.
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in lymphatic tissue that represents all lymphoma not specifically covered by Hodgkin Lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma usually occurs in younger children while Hodgkin Lymphoma is more a disease of older children and adolescents. It is the third most common childhood cancer.
Osteosarcoma is the most common type of primary bone cancer in children and young adults. In children and adolescents, about 80% of osteosarcomas develop in the bones around the knee.
Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the eye. Although relatively rare, it accounts for 5% of childhood blindness.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a cancer made up of cells that normally develop into skeletal muscles of the body, and it is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. It typically develops in the head and neck or in the urinary and reproductive organs.
Wilms Tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer that affects children. It is most often found in children between 2 and 3 years old.
