Part 2 book “Paediatrics and child health” has contents: Solid tumours and histiocytosis, endocrinology, metabolic diseases, genetics, immunology, rheumatology, speech and language therapy, neonatal and general paediatric surgery, otorhinolaryngology, oral and dental surgery, orthopaedics and fractures, and other contents. | 337 Chapter Twelve Solid Tumours and Histiocytosis Jon Pritchard • Richard Grundy Antony Michalski • Mark N Gaze Gill A Levitt INTRODUCTION Cancer affects about 1 in 600 children worldwide. Leukaemia (bone marrow cancer) is the commonest form (30–35% of all cancer in childhood), followed by brain tumours (20–25%), lymphomas including Hodgkin’s disease (10%), soft tissue sarcomas, particularly rhabdomyosarcoma (8%), neuroblastoma and Wilms’ tumour (6–7%). Leukaemia and lymphoma are covered in the ‘Blood Diseases’ chapter. Other rarer forms of cancer also occur (see Table ). Fortunately, well over half of all children with cancer and leukaemia can now be completely cured. Unlike some other diseases (. diabetes), patients cured of childhood cancer do not need to continue treatment for life; their treatment usually stops after three to 36 months. Today, around one in 1,000 young people in their twenties have already been cured of childhood cancer. Table Types of childhood cancers and cure rates Type of Cancer Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL)* Brain tumour Lymphomas – Hodgkin’s disease Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas Sarcomas of soft tissue Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) Neuroblastoma Wilms’ tumour (nephroblastoma) Osteosarcoma Ewing’s sarcoma (PNET)*** Malignant germ cell tumour Retinoblastoma Rare tumours**** Percentage of children’s cancer 25–30% 20–25% 4% 6% 8–9% 7–8% 7–8% 6–7% 3–4% 3–4% 2–3% 3% 2–3% Current average cure rate 60–70% See** 80–90% 60–90% 60% 50–60% 50% 85% 60% 60% 80–90% 95% Variable * Chances of cure in individual children are dependent on the sub-type and stage of the cancer or leukaemia in the child and on the treatment the child receives. These figures are ‘averages’ – . only a guide to the chance of cure for a particular patient. ** There are several types of brain tumour and the average chance of cure varies with each type. *** PNET = Primitive neuro-ectodermal tumour outside the central nervous system. **** . hepatoblastoma, .
