Key Statistics for Childhood Cancers

Childhood cancers make up less than 1% of all cancers diagnosed each year. About 10,380 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2016. Childhood cancer rates have been rising slightly for the past few decades.

Because of major treatment advances in recent decades, more than 80% 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 vary 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 1,250 children younger than 15 years old are expected to die from cancer in 2016.

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and master’s-prepared nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

Last Medical Review: August 22, 2016 Last Revised: August 22, 2016

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Cancer in Children