Paediatrics: Epidemiology of childhood cancer

Epidemiology of childhood cancer

·  Childhood cancer (age <16yrs) accounts for around 0.5% of all cancer.

·  Approximately 1400 new cases of childhood cancer occur in the UK every year.

·  Childhood cancer is the commonest cause of death in children aged 5–9yrs and 2^nd only to accidents in teenagers aged 10–19yrs.

·  The annual incidence in children under 15yrs of age is 1 in 10,000.

·  One in 600 children will have cancer at some time during childhood.

Causes of cancer in childhood

Environmental factors do not appear to be clearly linked with childhood cancer. An inherited predisposition applies to a minority of tumours.

The proportion of cases by diagnostic group (ages 0–14, UK, 1989–98)

·  Leukaemias, 32%.

·  Lymphoma, 10%.

·  CNS tumours, 24%.

·  Neuroblastoma, 7%.

·  Wilms’ tumour, 6%.

·  Bone tumours, 4%.

·  Soft tissue sarcoma, 7%.

·  Germ bell tumours, 3%.

·  Retinoblastoma, 3%.

·  Liver tumours, 1%.

·  Others, 3%.