Cancer in children can transpire anywhere in the body in the blood and lymph node systems, brain and spinal cord (central nervous system; CNS), kidneys, and other organs and tissues. The types of cancer that infect the young mostly belong to one of these categories; leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, lymphoma (including both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin), rhabdomyosarcoma, retinoblastoma, and bone cancer (including osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma).

Statistics
10,500 children under the age of 15 and 5,090 teens aged 15 to 19 will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Leukemia claims 28% of all childhood cancers, brain cancer (27%), lymphoma (9%) while in teens, brain cancer (21%), lymphoma (19%), and leukemia (13%). Thyroid cancer makes up 11% of cancer cases and melanoma makes up 3% of cases in teens.

Risk Factors And Symptoms
Treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy for childhood cancer can increase the risk of getting second cancer, infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) raises the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and some other cancers.

Symptoms include continued, unexplained weight loss, headaches, often with early morning vomiting, increased swelling or persistent pain in the bones, joints, back, or legs, lump or mass, especially in the abdomen, neck, chest, pelvis, or armpits, development of excessive bruising, bleeding, or rash, persistent infections, the whitish color behind the pupil, nausea that persists or vomiting without nausea, constant tiredness or noticeable paleness, vision changes that occur suddenly and persist and recurring fevers of unknown origin.

Prevention
Limiting lifestyle-related and environmental risk factors may reduce the risks.

Treatment
Targeted therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy (cancer vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and interferons), radiation therapy, and Bone marrow transplantation/stem cell transplantation are the treatment options.