In 2017, it is estimated that 15,270 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 years will be diagnosed with cancer and 1,790 will die of the disease in the United States (“How Common is Cancer in Children”). On average about 43 children are diagnosed with cancer everyday and More than 40,000 children will undergo treatment each year (“Key Statistics for Childhood Cancer”). There is no doubt that cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the U.S. and 12% of children who are diagnosed with it will not survive. However, over the past 40 years the overall survival rate has increased from 10% to 90% ( “Childhood Cancer Statistics”), and now more than 80% of children with cancer survive five years or more. Overall this is a huge increase since the mid-1970’s when the five year survival rate was 58% (“Key Statistics for Childhood Cancer”). There are many types of cancers in the world but the main types that develop in children are leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, neuroblastoma, and lymphomas. The most common is leukemia. Leukemia is a Cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the bloodstream. Then there's neuroblastoma, which is a type of cancer that forms from immature nerve cells and most often occurs in children younger than 5 years of age (“How Common is Cancer
In 2017, it is estimated that 15,270 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 years will be diagnosed with cancer and 1,790 will die of the disease in the United States (“How Common is Cancer in Children”). On average about 43 children are diagnosed with cancer everyday and More than 40,000 children will undergo treatment each year (“Key Statistics for Childhood Cancer”). There is no doubt that cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the U.S. and 12% of children who are diagnosed with it will not survive. However, over the past 40 years the overall survival rate has increased from 10% to 90% ( “Childhood Cancer Statistics”), and now more than 80% of children with cancer survive five years or more. Overall this is a huge increase since the mid-1970’s when the five year survival rate was 58% (“Key Statistics for Childhood Cancer”). There are many types of cancers in the world but the main types that develop in children are leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, neuroblastoma, and lymphomas. The most common is leukemia. Leukemia is a Cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the bloodstream. Then there's neuroblastoma, which is a type of cancer that forms from immature nerve cells and most often occurs in children younger than 5 years of age (“How Common is Cancer