Avoidable Causes of Childhood Cancer

The Increasing Incidencebut Decreasing MortalityRates Of Major ChildhodCancers 1975-2009*SITE % IncreaseIncidence% DecreaseMortality**Overall 35 53Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia 58 70Bone & Joint 57 33Brain & Nervous System 52 33Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 40 75Leukemia 33 65Kidney (Wilm’s Tumor) 20 0* National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results 2011.** The striking decrease in mortality reflects the National Cancer Institute’s successin developing pediatric clinical trial cooperative groups in 2000. (The CancerLetter June 8 2012).Association withCongenital DefectsSeveral childhood cancers occur so early in life that they must haveoriginated during fetal life or shortly thereafter.* These include acutelymphocytic leukemia neuroblastoma**and kidney and liver cancers. Cancerin the mother particularly melanoma can spread to the infant.* MILLER R.W. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 40; 1079-1085 1968.** The author is a survivor of this cancer