Childhood cancer

Childhood cancer is cancer in a child. About 80% of childhood cancer cases in high-income countries are being able to treat with modern treatments and good medical care. Yet, only 10% of children with cancer live in high-income countries where proper treatment and care are available. Children with cancer make up only about 1% of all cancer cases diagnosed globally each year. The majority of children with cancer are in low- and middle-income countries, where it is responsible for 94% of deaths among those under 15 years old. Because new cancer treatments are not easily available in these countries. For this reason, in low and mid-income countries, childhood cancer is often ignored in control planning, contributing to the burden of missed opportunities for its diagnoses and management.

Despite having better care, childhood cancer survivors are still at risk of recurrence and primary cancers. They also face challenges in education, income, and social support compared to the general population and their siblings.

In the United States, an arbitrarily adopted standard of the ages used is 0–14 years inclusive, up to age 14 years 11.9 months. However, the definition of childhood cancer sometimes includes adolescents between 15 and 19 years old. Pediatric oncology is the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in children.