Childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes a large number of abnormal blood cells. Childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. AML is also called acute myelogenous leukemia and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. Cancers that are acute...
Adrenocortical tumors encompass a spectrum of diseases with often seamless transition from benign (adenoma) to malignant (carcinoma) behavior. The incidence of adrenocortical tumors in children is extremely low (only 0.2% of pediatric cancers).[ 1] Adrenocortical tumors appear to follow a bimodal distribution, with...
Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the outer layer of the adrenal gland. There are two adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are small and shaped like a triangle. One adrenal gland sits on top of each kidney. Each adrenal gland has two parts. The outer layer of the adrenal...
Primary brain tumors, including astrocytomas, are a diverse group of diseases that together constitute the most common solid tumors of childhood. Brain tumors are classified according to histology and molecular features, but tumor location and extent of spread are also important factors that affect treatment and...
Childhood astrocytomas are tumors that start in the star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes. An astrocyte is a type of glial cell. Glial cells hold nerve cells in place, bring food and oxygen to them, and help protect them from disease, such as infection. Gliomas are tumors that form from glial cells. An astrocytoma...
Nonmelanoma (basal cell carcinoma [BCC] and squamous cell carcinoma [SCC]) skin cancers are very rare in children and adolescents. In a report of 7,814 cases of primary skin cancers in individuals younger than 30 years who were recorded by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database from 2000...
Skin cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the skin. The skin is the body's largest organ. It protects against heat, sunlight, injury, and infection. Skin also helps control body temperature and stores water, fat, and vitamin D. The skin has several layers, but the two main...
Urothelial bladder neoplasms are extremely rare in children. The most common presenting symptom of bladder cancer in children is hematuria.[ 1, 2] References: Saltsman JA, Malek MM, Reuter VE, et al.: Urothelial neoplasms in pediatric and young adult patients: A large single-center series. J Pediatr Surg 53 (2)...
Bladder cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the bladder. The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower part of the abdomen. It is shaped like a small balloon and has a muscle wall that allows it to get bigger or smaller. Tiny tubules in the kidneys filter and clean the blood. They...
Primary brain tumors are a diverse group of diseases that together constitute the most common solid tumor of childhood. The Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) estimates that approximately 4,300 U.S. children are diagnosed each year.[ 1] Brain tumors are classified by histology, but tumor location...
A childhood brain or spinal cord tumor is a disease in which abnormal cells form in the tissues of the brain or spinal cord. There are many types of childhood brain and spinal cord tumors. The tumors are formed by the abnormal growth of cells and may begin in different areas of the brain or spinal cord. The tumors may...
Primary brain tumors, including brain stem gliomas, are a diverse group of diseases that together constitute the most common solid tumor of childhood. Immunohistochemical analysis, cytogenetic and molecular genetic findings, and measures of mitotic activity are increasingly used in tumor diagnosis and classification...
Childhood brain stem glioma is a disease in which benign (noncancer) or malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain stem. Gliomas are tumors formed from glial cells. Glial cells in the brain hold nerve cells in place, bring food and oxygen to nerve cells, and help protect nerve cells from disease, such as...
Fibroadenoma is the most common breast tumor seen in children aged 18 years or younger.[ 1, 2] More than 95% of patients are female. Types of fibroadenoma in this age range include simple fibroadenoma (70%–90% of cases) and giant juvenile fibroadenoma (0.5%–2% of cases).[ 2] Giant juvenile fibroadenomas have been...
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. The breast is made up of lobes and ducts. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes. Each lobe has many smaller sections called lobules. Lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can make milk. The lobes, lobules, and...
Research teams from around the world have made remarkable progress in the past decade in elucidating the genomic landscape of most types of childhood cancer. A decade ago it was possible to hope that targetable oncogenes, such as activated tyrosine kinases, might be identified in a high percentage of childhood cancers...
Children represent less than 1% of all solid cancers of unknown primary site. Because of the age-related incidence of tumor types, embryonal histologies are more common in children.[ 1] Cancers of unknown primary site present as a metastatic cancer for which a precise primary tumor site cannot be determined.[ 2] As an...
Carcinoma of unknown primary is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the body but the place the cancer began is not known. Cancer can form in any tissue in the body. The first cancer to form is called the primary cancer. The process of cancer cells spreading to other parts of the body is called...
Childhood cardiac tumors, which may be benign or malignant, form in the heart. Most tumors that form in the heart are benign (not cancer). Benign heart tumors that may appear in children include the following: Rhabdomyoma: A tumor that forms in muscle made up of long fibers. Myxoma: A tumor that may be part of an...
Cardiac tumors are rare, with an autopsy frequency of 0.001% to 0.30%.[ 1] In one report, the percentage of cardiac surgeries performed as a result of cardiac tumors was 0.093%.[ 2] The most common primary tumors of the heart are benign and include the following:[ 3, 4, 5] Rhabdomyoma. Myxoma. Teratoma. Fibroma. Other...
Primary brain tumors, including atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors, are a diverse group of diseases that together constitute the most common solid tumor of childhood. The PDQ childhood brain tumor treatment summaries are primarily organized according to the World Health Organization classification of nervous system...
Central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the brain. Central nervous system (CNS) atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a very rare, fast-growing tumor that begins in the brain and spinal cord. It usually occurs in children aged 3...
Primary brain tumors, including germ cell tumors (GCTs), are a diverse group of diseases that together constitute the most common solid tumors of childhood. The most recent classification of CNS tumors implements some molecular parameters for the first time, in addition to histology, to define brain tumor entities.[ 1]...
Childhood central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors form from germ cells. Germ cells are special types of cells that are present as the fetus (unborn baby) develops. These cells usually become sperm in the testicles or unfertilized eggs in the ovaries as the child matures. Most germ cell tumors form in the testes or...
Adenocarcinoma of the cervix and vagina is rare in childhood and adolescence.[ 1, 2] Two-thirds of the cases are associated with exposure to diethylstilbestrol in utero.[ 3] The median age at presentation is 15 years, with a range of 7 months to 18 years. Most patients present with vaginal bleeding. Adults with...
Cervical and vaginal cancers are diseases in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the cervix or the vagina. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus (the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a baby grows). The cervix leads from the uterus to the vagina (birth canal). The vagina is the canal leading...
Chordoma is a very rare tumor of bone that arises from remnants of the notochord within the clivus, spinal vertebrae, or sacrum. The most common site in children is the cranium.[ 1] The incidence in the United States is approximately 1 case per 1 million people per year. Only 5% of all chordomas occur in patients...
Childhood chordoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissue found inside the spine. Chordoma is a type of slow-growing tumor that forms anywhere along the spine, from the base of the skull (a bone called the clivus) to the tailbone. In children and adolescents, chordomas form most often in the...
Carcinoma of the large bowel is rare in the pediatric age group.[ 1] It is seen in 1 case per 1 million people younger than 20 years in the United States annually. Fewer than 100 cases are diagnosed in children each year in the United States.[ 2] From 1973 to 2006, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)...
Colorectal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the colon or the rectum. The colon is part of the body's digestive system. The digestive system removes and processes nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water) from foods and helps pass waste...
