Types of cancer in children & young people

Childhood cancer classification

There are 76 different types of childhood cancers.

The types of cancers affecting children are quite different from the cancers that affect teenagers and and adults. Childhood cancers tend to occur in different parts of the body to adult cancers. They also look different under the microscope and can respond differently to treatment.

Childhood cancer is sometimes thought of in two main types: Cancers that affect the blood and cancers that cause tumours (solid cancers).

Childhood cancers

Thanks to improvements in treatments for children with cancer, survival rates have improved markedly over the last 50 years.

Today, 8 children in every 10 diagnosed now survive for 5 years after diagnosis. This drops to 7 children in every 10 when it reaches 10 years after diagnosis.

This is positive news but more needs to be done to help the children that don’t do as well.

Types of cancer

Childhood cancers can be grouped into 12 main categories.

These categories include: Leukaemias, brain and spinal tumours, lymphoma, soft tissue sarcomas, neuroblastoma, renal tumours, bone tumours, germ cell tumours, retinoblastomas, other carcinomas and melanomas, liver tumours and others.

Leukaemias are the most common childhood cancers in the UK forming 30% of cases and brain and spinal tumours are the second most common diagnosis forming 26% of cases.

Solid tumours (including brain tumours) make up 60% of cases of childhood cancers, meaning a GP is more likely to see a child with a solid tumour, than a child with leukaemia.