About 11,210 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2011. Because of major treatment advances, 80% of these children will survive 5 years or more. This is a huge increase from before the 1970s, when the 5-year survival rate was less than 50%.
Despite its rarity and the major advances in treatment and supportive care, cancer is still the leading cause of death from disease in children younger than 15 years old. About 1,320 children are expected to die from cancer in 2011.
The types of cancers that occur in children vary greatly from those seen in adults. The most common cancers of children are
- Leukemia
- Brain and other nervous system tumors
- Kidney cancer
- Lymphoma (lymph tissue cancers)
- Soft tissue sarcoma
- Eye cancer
- Bone cancer
In contrast, skin, prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal cancers are the most common in adults. The stage of growth and development is another important difference between adults and children. The immaturity of children's organ systems often has important effects on treatment.
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