Facts about

childhood cancer

Carcinoma is a cancer that starts in the skin or the tissues that line other organs.
Sarcoma is a cancer of connective tissues such as bones, muscles, cartilage, and blood vessels.
Leukemia is a cancer of bone marrow, which creates blood cells.
Lymphoma and myeloma are cancers of the immune system.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops when melanocytes (the cells that give the skin its tan or brown color) start to grow out of control.

The average age of a childhood cancer diagnosis is 6 years old.
80% of childhood cancer patients are diagnosed in a late stage of the disease.
Childhood cancer diagnoses have increased by 24% over the last 40 years.
Two-thirds of childhood cancer patients will suffer chronic health problems.
In 2 decades, only four new drugs have been approved by the FDA specifically for childhood cancer.

Facts from the WHO About Childhood Cancer:

Each year about 400,000 children (ages 0-19) are diagnosed with cancer.
The most common types of Childhood Cancer are:
- Leukaemia
- Brain Cancers
- Lymphomas
- Solid Tumours (like Neuroblastoma and Wilms)
In low and middle-income countries less than 30% of children with cancer are cured.
About only 29% of low-income countries report that they are able to access Childhood Cancer medicines in comparison with the 96% of high-income countries that can access medicine for Childhood Cancer.

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