The 12 most common Childhood Cancers
Twelve Childhood Cancers
Childhood cancer affects hundreds of thousands of children from every corner of the globe. In this campaign to raise awareness, we’ve outlined the 12 major childhood cancers and we’ve highlighted the early warning signs to look out for. Early detection is crucial in the fight to save our childrens’ lives.
Ewing’s Sarcoma
Sarcomas are rare types of cancer that develop in the supporting tissues of the body. There are two main types: Bone Sarcomas and Soft Tissue Sarcomas.
Ewing’s sarcoma is a bone cancer (although it can also very rarely develop in the soft tissue) and is the second most common primary sarcoma that can develop in children, comprising 10-15% of childhood bone cancers.
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OsteoSarcoma
Sarcomas are rare types of cancer that develop in the supporting tissues of the body. There are two main types: Bone Sarcomas and Soft Tissue Sarcomas. Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer which makes up about 5% of Childhood Cancers. Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma (MFH) of the bone is a rare tumour of the bone, and is treated in the same way as osteosarcoma.
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Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Leukaemia is a cancer that occurs when abnormal blood stem cells (immature white blood cells) are produced in the bone marrow. Normally white cells develop, repair and reproduce in an orderly fashion. The leukaemia cells do not mature, and therefore are not able to function as immune cells, but they keep on dividing in the bone marrow.
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Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Leukaemia is a cancer that occurs when abnormal blood stem cells (immature white blood cells) are produced in the bone marrow. Normally white cells develop, repair and reproduce in an orderly fashion. The leukaemia cells do not mature, and therefore are not able to function as immune cells, but they keep on dividing in the bone marrow.
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Brain Cancers
Brain tumours can be either primary (develop in the brain) or secondary (cancer from another part of the body spreads to the brain). A primary brain tumour occurs when abnormal cells form in the tissues of the brain. Brain tumours are the most common type of tumour that develops in children, and they can affect children of any age. Slightly more boys than girls develop brain tumours.
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Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Lymphomas are cancers that develop when malignant cells infiltrate the lymphatic system. Childhood Hodgkin’s Lymphoma develops in the lymph system, which is an integral part of the body’s immune system.
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Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Lymphomas are cancers that develop when malignant cells infiltrate the lymphatic system. Childhood Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) develops in the lymph system, which is an integral part of the body’s immune system.
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Hepatoblastoma
Hepatoblastoma is a solid tumour cancer that develops in the soft tissue of the liver and accounts for almost half of liver cancers in children.
The liver is situated in the upper part of the abdomen and is the largest organ in the body. The liver is very important as it performs vital bodily functions such as producing proteins that circulate in the blood.
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Rhabdomyosarcoma
Sarcomas are rare types of cancer that develop in the supporting tissues of the body. There are two main types: Bone Sarcomas and Soft Tissue Sarcomas.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a soft tissue cancer that develops in the soft tissue of striated muscles, which are the muscles that are attached to bones and help the body to move.
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Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a type of eye cancer that develops in the light-sensitive lining of the eye, called the retina. Retinoblastoma can occur at any age but mainly occurs in children younger than 5 years of age and most often in those younger than 2.
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Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma occurs when malignant cancer cells form in the specialised nerve cells of the sympathetic nervous system called neural crest cells. These cells are involved in the development of the nervous system and other tissues.
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Wilms Tumour
Wilms’ Tumour is a cancer of the kidneys; it derives from specialised cells in the embryo known as metanephric blastema. These cells contribute to the development of the child’s kidneys while they’re in the womb and generally disappear at birth, but cells called nephrogenic rests can still be found in children with Wilms Tumour. Sometimes these cells begin to grow out of control, resulting in a mass of primitive, small, rapidly dividing cells called Wilms Tumour. This can affect only one kidney (unilateral) or both (bilateral).
Read more HERE