Childhood malignancies

Unfortunately the pediatric population is susceptible to malignancies. The most common entities, in overall order of frequency, are ^1-4:

• leukemia/lymphoma: ~35% *
  • acute lymphoblastic leukemia: 23%
  • Hodgkin disease: 5%
  • acute myelogenous leukemia: 4%
• central nervous system malignancies: ~20%
  • see brain tumors in infancy
  • see brain tumors in childhood
• solid tumors
  • blastomas: ~15%
    • neuroblastoma: 7%
    • Wilms tumor: 6%
    • retinoblastoma
  • sarcomas: ~10%
    • rhabdomyosarcoma: 3%
    • osteosarcoma: 3%
    • Ewing sarcoma: 2%

* note on figures/percentages

It is important to note that the incidence of various tumors varies with age, and thus the order above is not true throughout childhood ³.