Key Statistics for Childhood Cancers

How common is cancer in children?

About 9,550 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2025.

Cancer incidence rates in children have declined slightly from 2015 through 2021 by 0.8% per year.

Survival rates for children with cancer

Because of major treatment advances in recent decades, about 85% of children with cancer now live 5 years or more after being diagnosed with cancer.

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. Survival rates for a specific type of childhood cancer can be found in our information for that cancer type. 

Mortality in children with cancer

After accidents, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14. About 1,050 children under the age of 15 are expected to die from cancer in 2025.

Since 1970, the cancer death rate has declined in both children (by 70%) and adolescents (by 63%), largely due to improvements in treatment and high participation in clinical trials.