Childhood cancers (all types)
Cancer in children is rare and different from adult cancer: the common types are leukaemias, brain tumours, lymphomas and embryonal tumours such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumour, most are curable in well-resourced health systems, and the great challenge is bringing the same cures to the majority of children who live where they are not available.
Overview
Childhood cancers are mostly not the carcinomas of adults but leukaemias, brain and spinal cord tumours, lymphomas and embryonal tumours that arise in developing tissue: neuroblastoma, Wilms tumour, retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and bone sarcomas. Decades of cooperative group trials made most of them curable in high-income countries with combination chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy, and newer approaches such as CAR-T for leukaemia, anti-GD2 antibodies for neuroblastoma and targeted drugs for BRAF- or ALK-driven tumours are improving results further. Survival is far lower in low- and middle-income countries, where most children with cancer live, because of late diagnosis, abandonment of treatment and lack of drugs; the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer aims to raise survival there to at least 60% by 2030. Survivors carry lifelong late effects, so reducing treatment intensity where cure is secure is a major research theme. Adolescents and young adults (15 to 39) sit between paediatric and adult services and often do worse than either.
State of the art
About 400,000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 19 develop cancer each year worldwide (WHO); leukaemias, brain tumours and lymphomas are the commonest, and the chance of cure depends heavily on where a child lives.
- AI in radiologyEstablished
- cfDNA fragmentomicsEstablished
- Colorectal cancer screening (colonoscopy, FIT, stool DNA, blood)Standard of care
- DNA methylation profilingEstablished
- HCC surveillance in cirrhosis (ultrasound + AFP)Standard of care
- High-risk pancreatic surveillance (CAPS / PRECEDE)Established
- A 28-day national pathway for people with a positive multi-cancer blood test
- A breath test to rule out cancer in people with vague symptoms
- A cancer blood test for older people arriving at A&E with unexplained symptoms
- A legislated, publicly reported 28-day standard from urgent referral to diagnosis
- A live national dashboard of stage at diagnosis as the scorecard for early detection
- A single 'cancer check at 60' appointment bundling all screening tests
Background: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Barrett's oesophagus, CA 19-9, Early detection, Faecal immunochemical test (FIT). Also on OnCo: Symptoms and red flags · Early detection roadmap.
Cases by country
No country-level case numbers. This cancer is not mapped to a GLOBOCAN site.
Risk-stratified multi-agent chemotherapy over two to three years for ALL, with immunotherapy (blinatumomab, CAR-T) for high-risk or relapsed disease. See the ALL page.
Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy by risk group in cooperative group protocols; anti-GD2 antibody for high-risk neuroblastoma. See the neuroblastoma, Wilms, sarcoma and brain tumour pages.
Lifelong follow-up for late effects on heart, fertility, growth and second cancers, with a survivorship care plan; trials that reduce therapy where cure rates are high.
Subtypes & biomarkers
top- Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
- Acute myeloid leukaemia
- Brain and spinal cord tumours (medulloblastoma, gliomas, ependymoma)
- Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Neuroblastoma
- Wilms tumour
- Retinoblastoma
- Hepatoblastoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma and other soft tissue sarcomas
- Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma
- Germ cell tumours
- Rare tumours (pleuropulmonary blastoma, ATRT and others)
How often this target appears
- 1965Combination chemotherapy first cures childhood leukaemia
Multi-drug regimens at the National Cancer Institute and St Jude turned acute lymphoblastic leukaemia from uniformly fatal to curable.
- 2015Dinutuximab approved for high-risk neuroblastoma
Anti-GD2 antibody added to maintenance therapy after the Children's Oncology Group trial.
- 2017First CAR-T therapy approved
Tisagenlecleucel for children and young adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Open problems and what is being done
Most children with cancer live where cure rates are below 30%.
Late effects affect the majority of long-term survivors.
and how the field plans to fix it →What is being done about thisSide effects and quality of lifeAvailable now- Obecabtagene autoleucelApproved
- Survivorship care and late-effects surveillanceEstablished
- Cardio-oncologyEstablished
- Exercise & lifestyle oncologyEstablished
- Geriatric assessmentEstablished
- IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)Standard of care
In trialsIdeas and roadmaps- A cheap old tablet to restore appetite
- A coordinated FLASH radiotherapy evidence programme with shared dose-rate standards
- A dedicated programme for cachexia and treatment toxicity research
- A dietitian in every gastrointestinal and head and neck tumour board
- A funded programme of organ-preservation trials to avoid radical surgery
- A lifelong late-effects registry linked to every treatment for adult survivors
Background: CTCAE toxicity grading (grade 3-4 adverse events), De-escalation, escalation and response-adapted therapy, Immune-related adverse events (irAEs), Quality of life, Toxicity grade. Also on OnCo: Side effects by symptom · Immune-related side effects · Toxicity compare · Survivorship planner.
Few new drugs are developed for children because the markets are small.
Trials
topTrials recruiting now
Country and place are remembered in this browser only. A postcode is sent to OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service to find coordinates when you press the button; nothing else leaves your device.
Expert centres
topExpert centres
- Children's Oncology Group (COG)Monrovia, CA, USvia Blinatumomab, Survivorship care and late-effects surveillance
- Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PA, USvia Tisagenlecleucel
- ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research GroupPhiladelphia, PA, USvia Blinatumomab
- GIMEMARome, ITvia Blinatumomab
- Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer CenterTaipei, TWvia Survivorship care and late-effects surveillance
- via Dinutuximab (ch14.18) / dinutuximab beta
- via Dinutuximab (ch14.18) / dinutuximab beta
Questions to ask
topQuestions to ask your oncologist about Childhood cancers
Newly diagnosed
- What is my exact diagnosis, stage, and grade, and which tests established them?Why: Everything else follows from an accurate stage and subtype.
- Which biomarkers have been tested on my tumour (for example Cytogenetics and minimal residual disease in leukaemia, MYCN amplification in neuroblastoma, Molecular subgroups in medulloblastoma, Germline predisposition), and what were the results?Why: These results decide eligibility for targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and trials.
- Which subtype is my cancer, and does that change the recommended treatment?Why: Recognised subtypes for this cancer include Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Acute myeloid leukaemia, Brain and spinal cord tumours.
- Is germline (inherited) genetic testing recommended for me or my family?Why: Inherited variants can change treatment and matter for relatives.
Leukaemias
- For my situation (leukaemias), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?Why: Guideline options include: Risk-stratified multi-agent chemotherapy over two to three years for ALL, with immunotherapy (blinatumomab, CAR-T) for high-risk or relapsed disease. See the ALL page.
- Am I a candidate for Blinatumomab, Tisagenlecleucel, and what side effects should I expect?Why: Knowing the expected toxicities helps you plan work, family, and supportive care.
Solid tumours
- For my situation (solid tumours), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?Why: Guideline options include: Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy by risk group in cooperative group protocols; anti-GD2 antibody for high-risk neuroblastoma. See the neuroblastoma, Wilms, sarcoma and brain tumour pages.
- Am I a candidate for Dinutuximab (ch14.18) / dinutuximab beta, and what side effects should I expect?Why: Knowing the expected toxicities helps you plan work, family, and supportive care.
Survivorship
- For my situation (survivorship), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?Why: Guideline options include: Lifelong follow-up for late effects on heart, fertility, growth and second cancers, with a survivorship care plan; trials that reduce therapy where cure rates are high.
Any stage
- Are there clinical trials I could join, for example of Naxitamab, Tovorafenib, Obecabtagene autoleucel?Why: Trials are how the next standard of care is set; asking early keeps options open.
- Would a second opinion at a high-volume centre change anything, and can you help arrange it?Why: Rare or high-stakes decisions benefit from a centre that treats many similar patients.
- What supportive care (symptom control, nutrition, exercise, mental health, financial help) is available from the start?Why: Supportive care improves quality of life and helps patients complete treatment.
- I read that “Most children with cancer live where cure rates are below 30%”. How does that affect my plan?Why: Open problems are where trials and second opinions matter most.
- I read that “Late effects affect the majority of long-term survivors”. How does that affect my plan?Why: Open problems are where trials and second opinions matter most.
Print this page for your appointment (your browser's print command). These prompts are for discussion; your clinical team knows your case.
Direct links plus the targets, companies, and technologies of this cancer's products.
technologies
6targets
4drugs
8companies
6Latest papers
topQuery for this cancer: (TITLE:"Childhood cancers" OR ABSTRACT:"Childhood cancers" OR TITLE:"all types" OR ABSTRACT:"all types" OR TITLE:"Childhood Cancers" OR ABSTRACT:"Childhood Cancers" OR TITLE:"Paediatric cancers" OR ABSTRACT:"Paediatric cancers" OR TITLE:"Pediatric cancers" OR ABSTRACT:"Pediatric cancers" OR TITLE:"Cancer in children" OR ABSTRACT:"Cancer in children") AND (treatment OR therapy OR trial OR survival OR diagnosis). Results are unfiltered search hits about Childhood cancers (all types), not a curated reading list.
Similar pages
not linked directly; found by shared links- CancerBrain and spinal cord tumours (all types)
Shares Tovorafenib, Ependymoma, Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour (ATRT), Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered (including DIPG) and the tag umbrella.
- CancerRare cancers of childhood (NCI PDQ umbrella)
Shares Childhood lung and airway tumours (pleuropulmonary blastoma, tracheobronchial tumours), Germ cell tumours of childhood and adolescence (extracranial and CNS) and the tags paediatric, umbrella.
- CollectionAlex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF)
Shares Hepatoblastoma, Retinoblastoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and the tag paediatric.
- CollectionSt. Baldrick's Foundation
Shares Rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, Medulloblastoma, Osteosarcoma and the tag paediatric.
- TrialChildhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS)
Shares Rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, Survivorship care and late-effects surveillance, Medulloblastoma and the tag paediatric.
- CancerNon-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)
Shares Obecabtagene autoleucel, Burkitt lymphoma, CD19, Hodgkin lymphoma and the tag umbrella.
- InstitutionInnovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC)
Shares Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered (including DIPG), Rhabdomyosarcoma, Paediatric low-grade glioma, Neuroblastoma (paediatric) and the tag paediatric.
- InstitutionACCELERATE
Shares Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered (including DIPG), Paediatric low-grade glioma, Neuroblastoma (paediatric), Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and the tag paediatric.