Cancer Among Children Under Age 15

by Type of Cancer

Cancer incidence for all sites combined increased 10 percent between 1973 and 1991 for children. The increase was 10 percent among white children and 14 percent among black children. Soft tissue sarcoma and brain cancer incidence increased more than 25 percent. Acute lymphocytic leukemia showed an increase of 20 percent. The overall rate of leukemia remained flat, implying that the increase in acute lymphocytic leukemia may indicate that that type of leukemia has been specified more frequently over time.

Cancer among children is rare, only 14.1 cases per 100,000 children. Incidence is slightly higher among whites (14.4) than blacks (11.8 per 100,000). Leukemias (4.3 per 100,000) and cancer of the brain and other nervous system (3.4 per 100,000) account for more than half of the cancers among children.

Even though cancer incidence has increased, cancer mortality among children has decreased dramatically, by 42 percent. Cancer mortality has decreased among black as well as white children. Mortality has decreased for every cancer site; most have decreased by at least 50 percent.

Cancer survival rates have increased dramatically for children since the 1960s. For all sites combined, the 5-year relative survival rate has increased from less than 30 percent to nearly 70 percent. Among acute lymphocytic leukemia patients diagnosed during the early 1960s, less than 5 percent survived 5 years. For the most recent time, 1983-90, three-fourths survived their disease at least 5 years past diagnosis. Because long-term survival rates do not exist for all races combined, the table showing trends in survival presents rates for whites only.

 

5-Year Relative Survival Ratesa for Selected Cancers, Whites Under Age 15

WHITES UNDER AGE 15
Cancer Site 1960­63 1970­73 1974­76 1977­79 1980­82 1983­90
All Sites 28 45 55.3 61.8 65.0 69.7
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia 4 34 53.3 68.5 70.9 75.0
Acute Myeloid Leukemia 3 5 15.8 24.5 22.3 29.4
Bone & Joint 20 30 52.6 50.0 53.0 59.4
Brain & Nervous System 35 45 54.7 56.4 56.0 62.2
Hodgkin's Disease 52 90 80.2 84.6 91.1 89.5
Neuroblastoma 25 40 49.1 51.2 56.9 56.4
Non-Hodgkin' Lymphoma 18 26 43.2 49.2 58.5 72.0
Wilms' Tumor 33 70 74.2 80.1 83.2 87.6

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a Data for 1960-63 and 1970-73 are from three hospital registries and one state registry and appear in Cancer Patient Survival Experience, 1980. Data for 1974-90 are from SEER, and represent approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population. Thus, the earlier data and the SEER data are not strictly comparable, but each represents the best available data for the period covered.