Leukemia is the most common cancer in children and adolescents. It accounts for about 1 out of 3 cancers in children. Overall, however, childhood leukemia is a rare disease.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) accounts for about 3 out of 4 leukemia cases among children and teens. Most of the remaining cases are acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Chronic leukemias are rare in children.
ALL is most common in early childhood, peaking between 2 and 4 years of age. Cases of AML are more spread out across the childhood years, but it is slightly more common during the first 2 years of life and during the teenage years.
ALL is slightly more common among white children than among African-American and Asian-American children, and it is more common in boys than in girls. AML occurs about equally among boys and girls of all races.
Survival rates for childhood leukemias
The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Survival rates are often used by doctors as a standard way of discussing a person's prognosis (outlook).
With regard to acute leukemias, children who are free of disease after 5 years are very likely to have been cured, as it very rare for these cancers to return after such a period of time. Current 5-year survival rates are based on children first diagnosed and treated more than 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment since then may result in a more favorable outlook for recently diagnosed children.
The 5-year survival rate for ALL in children has greatly increased over time and is now more than 80% overall.
The overall 5-year survival rate for children with AML has also increased over time, and is now in the range of 50% to 70%. However, survival rates can vary depending on the subtype of AML. For example, most studies suggest that the cure rate for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a subtype of AML, is now higher than 80%.
Survival statistics can sometimes be useful as a general guide, but they may not accurately represent any one child's prognosis. A number of other factors, including the child's age and tumor characteristics, can also affect outlook. Many of these prognostic factors are discussed in the section, "How is childhood leukemia classified?" Even when taking these other factors into account, survival rates are at best rough estimates. Your child's doctor is likely to be a good source as to whether these numbers may apply to your child, as he or she is familiar with the aspects of the particular situation.
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