According to American Cancer Society statistics, cancers in children and adolescents account for only 1 in 360 or 0.3 percent of all cancers that are diagnosed. Every year, about 130 new childhood cancers are diagnosed for every 1 million children. The types of cancers that develop in children are different from the types that develop in adults. Although there are exceptions, childhood cancers tend to respond better to chemotherapy because they are growing rapidly. Since the 1960s, most children with cancer have been treated at specialized centers designed for children.
Neuroblastoma cells resemble developing nerve cells found in an embryo or fetus.
These cells are critical for thinking, sensation and movement. About one-third of neuroblastomas originate from the adrenals, another third begin in sympathetic nervous system ganglia of the abdomen, and most of the rest start in sympathetic ganglia of the chest, pelvis, or neck. The ACS reports that neuroblastoma is the third most common type of cancer in children. Of the estimated 8,600 childhood cancers that will be diagnosed during 2000, approximately 7.5 percent will be neuroblastomas. The disease affects one out of 80,000 to 100,000 children under the age of 15.