Types of cancer in children and young people

Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer. Leukaemias are the most common group of childhood cancers, accounting for approximately 1 in 3 cases every year.

Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer. Lymphomas are the third most common group of children's cancers, accounting for around 1 in 10 new cases each year in the UK.

Brain tumours are the most common tumours that develop in children. Children of any age can be affected. About 400 children in the UK develop brain tumours each year. Boys are affected slightly more often than girls.

Neuroblastoma is the second most common solid tumour in children after brain tumours and makes up 6% of the total number of childhood cancer diagnoses.

Ewing sarcoma is a type of bone cancer in children and young people. It is the second most common primary bone sarcoma in children and young people. Approximately 30 children in the UK develop Ewing sarcoma each year. It usually occurs in the teenage…

Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer. About 35 children in the UK develop osteosarcomas each year. These tumours occur more commonly in older children and teenagers and are very rarely seen in children under five.

Wilms tumours are the most common type of kidney (renal) cancer in children. About 90 children in the UK are diagnosed with a Wilms tumour each year. It most often affects children under the age of seven.

Approximately 50 children in the UK develop malignant germ cell tumours each year. Most children who develop germ cell tumours will be cured.

Retinoblastoma is cancer of the retina, the light sensitive lining of the eye. It usually affects children under five and about 40 to 50 cases are diagnosed in the UK each year. Treatment is very effective and nearly all (98 out of 100) children with…

Approximately 20 children in the UK develop primary liver tumours each year. Boys are affected more commonly than girls. Liver tumours can be non-cancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). This information is about malignant liver tumours.

This information is about a condition called Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) in children. About 50 children in the UK develop LCH each year. It can affect children of any age, and is more common in boys than in girls.

Childhood cancers are not common, but there are a number of very rare types. Rare cancers in children make up fewer than 1 in 30 of all childhood cancers

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. Around 55 children are diagnosed in the UK each year. Most of them are younger than 10 years old. It is more common in boys than girls.

Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. Usually, white blood cells divide and grow in a controlled way. In leukaemia, this process gets out of control.

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. In lymphoma, white blood cells called lymphocytes grow out of control and make a lump.

Primary brain tumours are tumours that start in the brain. Any illness related to your brain can be scary. If there is something you do not understand, don’t be scared to ask.

There are different types of bone cancer. The most common types to affect teenagers and young adults are osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. Both are more common in young men than in young women.

Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers that develop from cells in the soft, supporting tissues of the body. The soft tissue sarcomas most likely to affect teenagers and young adults are rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, fibrosarcoma and soft tissue Ewing…

Ovarian cancer starts in the ovaries, which are part of the reproductive system. The three main types of ovarian cancer are germ cell tumours, epithelia tumours and stromal cell tumours.

Testicular cancer is sometimes called germ cell tumours of the testicles. There are two main types of testicular germ cell tumours: non-seminoma and seminoma.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It develops from cells in the skin called melanocytes.

There are different types of thyroid cancer. Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer are the most common types in teenagers and young adults.