Childhood cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens and young adults.
It is important to understand that when cancer strikes children and young people, it affects them differently than it does adults. For example, young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. While most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors, such as smoking, diet, occupational, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents, the causes of most childhood cancers, are not yet known. Each of these behaves differently, but all are characterized by an uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells. The majority of adult cancer sufferers are treated in their local community by family physicians, consulting surgeons, medical oncologists or other cancer specialists.