Cancer is the second biggest killer of children in the United States after accidents. In the U.S., the incidence of two types of childhood cancers has risen significantly over the past 15 years. Due to improvements in treatment, it is estimated that by the year 2010, one in every 250 people will be a survivor of childhood cancer.
Children frequently have a more advanced stage of cancer when they are first diagnosed.
Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors, such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents. The causes of most childhood cancers are not yet known. It is unlikely that there is one specific cause of the many different types of childhood cancer. Although the frequency of cancer in childhood is low, the number of children diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. each year puts more potential years of life at risk than any single type of adult cancer. Leukemia is cancer of the tissues of the body which make the blood cells.