Types of Childhood Cancer

One of the deadliest diseases in the world is cancer. We can imagine a well-grown adult being struck by this devastating disease. But, when it strikes a young body, we cannot gather enough strength to grasp the reality. Cancer in children, although rare, is more devastating and aggressive than those in adults. Unfortunately, many parents lay their children to sleep in a grave, before they reach 10 years of age, due to cancer. There are different types of childhood cancers that rob away life from these innocent, young souls. This Buzzle article will cover the different childhood cancer types and help you understand what makes them different from adult cancers.

How Many Types of Childhood Cancers Are There

Childhood cancers are placed in 12 major categories according to the guidelines by International Classification of Childhood Cancers. These cancers are classified according to their histology. These major categories of childhood cancers are as follows:

» Leukemias
» Central Nervous System Tumors and Miscellaneous Intracranial and Intraspinal Neoplasms
» Neuroblastoma and Other Sympathetic Nervous System Tumors
» Lymphomas and Other Reticuloendothelial Neoplasms
» Soft Tissue Sarcomas
» Malignant Bone Tumors
» Renal Tumors
» Retinoblastoma
» Germ Cell, Trophoblastic, and Other Gonadal Neoplasms

Childhood Cancers: Types

The most common types of childhood cancers are leukemia, brain tumors and lymphoma (Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). The following paragraphs will cover information in short about some of the childhood cancers affecting the health of children mentally as well as physically.

♦ Leukemia
Cancer of the bone marrow and tissues is known as leukemia. It is one of the most common childhood cancers. The lymphocytes produced to protect the body from infection are abnormal. They are cancerous and tend to divide and grow rapidly. Soon, the number of the abnormal lymphocytes increase in number and outnumber the normal red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells. There are two types of leukemia:

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children is one of the most common cancers that strikes about 75% children with blood cancer. It is a cancer of the lymphoid cells in the bone marrow and lymphoid organs.

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Also known as acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) this is a cancer of the myeloid blood cells. These cells are produced in the bone marrow and play a role in fighting bacterial infections.

♦ Cancer of the Central Nervous System
The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain. There are different types of CNS tumors that affect about 17% of cancers occurring in people under the age of 20. Majority of the CNS cancers occurring in children and adolescents are cancers of the astroctyes in the brain, that is, gliomas or astrocytomas. Other childhood brain cancers include medulloblastomas. These are fast growing aggressive tumors occurring in the cerebellum. Other common brain tumors include brainstem gliomas, ependyomomas and optic nerve gliomas.

♦ Sarcomas
Another childhood cancer is sarcoma. These are tumors of the bone and soft tissues. Sarcomas include bone cancers and soft tissue sarcomas.

Bone Cancers
The different types of bone cancers in children are as follows:

→ Osteosarcoma
The most common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma. These tumors are located at the end of the long bones (metaphysis) of the extremities. It occurs in the age group of 15 to 25 years.

→ Ewing's Sarcoma
This is one of the less common childhood bone cancers. It causes bone pain and affects mostly adolescents. Ewing's sarcoma accounts for about 2% of all childhood cancers.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma
One of the most common types of soft tissue sarcoma is:

→ Rhabdomyosarcoma
Rhabdomyosarcoma usually begins in the embryonic cells that develop into skeletal muscles. This cancer may occur anywhere in the body like head, neck, groin, abdomen, arms, legs, pelvis, etc. The patient complains of pain and swelling of the affected part. It accounts for about 3% of all childhood cancer types.

♦ Lymphomas
Lymphomas are cancers of the lymph tissues that are a part of the immune system. These cancers account for about 15% of childhood cancers affecting people under the age of 20. Lymphoma is divided into two broad categories, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Also known as Hodgkin's disease, these are tumors that affect the nodes near the body surface. Thus, lymph nodes of the neck, armpits and groin are mostly affected.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
This cancer affects lymph nodes that are based deep within the body. There many types of NHL like Burkitt's lymphoma, non-Burkitt's lymphoma and lymphoblastic lymphoma.

♦ Cancer of the Liver
Liver cancer is one of the rare tumors in children. There are two types of liver cancers that can occur in children, these include hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatoblastomas are very common in children under 3 years of age and hepatocellular carcinomas are found in children under 4 years of age as well as those between the age group of 12 to 15 years.

♦ Cancer of the Kidney
Children develop Wilm's tumor (also called nephroblastoma) as a kidney cancer. This kidney cancer that affects children is different from adult cancer of the kidney. It affects children under the age of 5 as well as older children in some cases. It mostly affects one kidney, and is said to be hereditary in a few cases. Other kidney cancers that affect children include malignant rhabdoid tumors as well as clear cell sarcoma.

Other Childhood Cancer Types

Apart from the cancers mentioned above, there are other cancers that may develop in children. These cancers include:

Neuroblastoma
This cancer develops in the nerve cells of a developing embryo or a fetus. This cancer therefore affects infants and very young children. It is often diagnosed during the first year of life of the child. The cancer can occur anywhere, but usually occurs in the stomach. This cancer is noticed as a swelling and leads to bone pain and fever in children. Neuroblastoma accounts for about 7% of all childhood cancer types.

Retinoblastoma
One of the rarest types of cancers in children is retinoblastoma. It accounts for less than 3% of childhood cancers. It usually affects children under the age of 4. This cancer is usually diagnosed after the doctor notices something strange in the look of the child's eye. The pupils of the eyes appear white or pink due to presence of the cancer thus indicating the occurrence of retinoblastoma in the child.

This disease tends to destroy the child's organs, bones and weakens the immune system. The usual treatments for childhood cancers include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. It is important to diagnose childhood cancers at the earliest as it can make a difference between life and death of the child.