Key Statistics for Childhood Cancers
About 11,050 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2020. Overall, this accounts for less than 1% of all cancers. Childhood cancer rates have been rising slightly for the past few decades.
Because of major treatment advances in recent decades, 84% of children with cancer now survive 5 years or more. Overall, this is a huge increase since the mid-1970s, when the 5-year survival rate was about 58%. Still, survival rates can vary a great deal depending on the type of cancer and other factors. The survival rates for a specific type of childhood cancer can be found in our information for that cancer type.
After accidents, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14. About 1,190 children under the age of 15 are expected to die from cancer in 2020.
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2020. American Cancer Society. Atlanta, Ga. 2020.
Last Medical Review: October 14, 2019 Last Revised: January 8, 2020
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