Which cancers affect children?

Listen to our paediatric oncologists share fascinating insights into childhood cancers, and hear from a mom to two young daughters diagnosed with cancer, here.

The American cancer society reports that Leukaemia constitutes about one third of all childhood cancers. The other most common malignancies that occur in children are lymphomas and tumours of the central nervous system. The September 2018 World Health Organisation Fact Sheet on Cancer in Children, reports that Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents around the world and approximately 300,000 children aged 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer each year

There are also several tumour types that occur almost exclusively in children:

• Neuroblastoma (cancer of the central nervous system)
• Nephroblastoma (cancer of the kidneys)
• Medulloblastoma (brain cancer)
• Retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye).

The WHO Fact Sheet adds that, in high-income countries, approximately 80% of children with cancer survive after being diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis is much lower for children in low- and middle-income countries, possibly due to:

• Late diagnosis of cancer leading to lower levels of effective treatment
• Poorly equipped hospitals without the appropriate medicine and equipment to treat the children
• Other diseases that the children may have
• Lack of knowledge about cancer among primary healthcare providers treating the children
• Treatment that’s unaffordable for many parents in low-resource settings who are required to pay for the costs themselves.

Cancer in children most often occurs in developing cells like such as bone marrow, blood, kidneys and nervous system tissues. Life-threatening blood disorders include aplastic anaemia, thalassaemia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

You can read more about the CHOC Parent-to-Parent program here. It takes volunteer parents - whose child has completed treatment or is on maintenance (medication and general care) - and puts them in touch with parents about to begin their child’s cancer journey.

Top five cancers in children

As seen in the most recent South African Children’s Cancer Study Group (SACCSG) registry, statistics for 2009 to 2013 show that the five most common childhood cancers in South Africa are:

1. Leukaemia
2. Lymphoma (tumours that begin in the lymph glands)
3. Brain tumours
4. Cancer of the kidneys
5. Cancer of connective tissue

CHOC reports that leukaemia comprises 25.4% of all childhood cancers which is similar to the rates in other countries. In developed countries, brain tumours make up another 25% while in South Africa statistics show that they only make up 13.4%. This discrepancy is thought to be due to under-diagnosis, especially in rural and smaller hospitals.

According to South Africa’s National Cancer Registry’s (NCR) 2012 statistics, these cancers are most prevalent amongst South African children:

Top five cancers in South African boys under the age of 19

1. Leukaemia
2. Cancer of the kidney
3. Cancer of the brain and central nervous system
4. Hodgkin’s lymphoma
5. Cancer of the eye

Top five cancers in South African girls under the age of 19

1. Leukaemia
2. Cancer of the kidney
3. Cancer of connective tissue
4. Cancer of the brain and central nervous system
5. Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Read more about supporting a child through a cancer diagnosis here.

Read more about supporting a teen through cancer here.

Find out more about helping a child to feel safe in hospital here.