Cancer Types
Pediatric Blood Cancer
Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer and the second leading cause of childhood cancer death. It is not one disease. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia alone has more than 20 genetic subtypes, each with a different outlook.
Greenleigh, a Rally Kid
Five numbers that define pediatric blood cancers
U.S. children and teens currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer
NCI SEER*Explorer
leukemia is the second leading cause of childhood cancer death, behind only brain and central nervous system tumors
PubMed Central
genetic subtypes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia alone, each with a different outlook
PubMed Central
children and adolescents die from leukemia in the U.S. each year, enough to fill an entire elementary school
Estimate · NCI SEER*Explorer · NCI
of children with ALL now survive, up from under 10% in the 1960s
NCI
About 54,000 U.S. children and teens are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer.
Source: NCI SEER*Explorer · seer.cancer.gov
Leukemia is the second leading cause of childhood cancer death, behind only brain and central nervous system tumors.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC7541866
Blood cancer is not one disease but many. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia alone has more than 20 recognized genetic subtypes, each with a different outlook.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC8393341
An estimated 400-plus children and adolescents die from leukemia in the U.S. each year, enough children to fill an entire elementary school. (Derived from leukemia’s share of the roughly 1,590 annual U.S. childhood cancer deaths reported by NCI.)
Sources: NCI SEER*Explorer · seer.cancer.gov · NCI · cancer.gov
Childhood ALL survival has climbed from under 10% in the 1960s to about 90 to 92% today, one of medicine’s greatest cancer treatment success stories.
Source: NCI · cancer.gov
Most common pediatric blood cancers
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and lymphomas, including Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, are the most common blood cancers in children and teens.
ALL
The most common cancer diagnosed in children.
cancers diagnosed before age 15, and more than 3 in 4 childhood leukemias
Scientific Reports
of children with ALL go into remission; roughly 85% become long-term cancer-free survivors
NCI PDQ
survival today, up from under 10% in the 1960s
Journal of Clinical Oncology
children with ALL will relapse, based on a study of more than 16,000 children
Leukemia (Nature)
ALL is the most common childhood cancer, about 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed before age 15, and more than 3 in 4 childhood leukemias.
Source: Scientific Reports · nature.com
About 98% of children with ALL go into remission, and roughly 85% become long-term cancer-free survivors. More than 9 in 10 are alive at 5 years.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Survival has skyrocketed, from under 10% in the 1960s to about 90% today, one of the biggest success stories in cancer treatment.
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology · ascopubs.org
Babies under 1 year old with ALL do much worse than older children. Only about 55% survive 10 years, versus over 85% of children overall.
Source: Scientific Reports · nature.com
About 1 in 8 children with ALL will relapse, meaning their cancer returns, based on a study of more than 16,000 children.
Source: Leukemia (Nature) · nature.com
AML
A less common but more difficult to treat form of childhood leukemia.
of childhood leukemia cases, making it the 5th most common childhood cancer overall
PubMed Central
of children with AML are alive 5 years after diagnosis, well below the roughly 90% for ALL
PubMed Central
children treated for AML will relapse, even with strong initial chemotherapy
PubMed Central
When your child has AML, you quickly learn that after intense treatment, about 4 in 10 children relapse. In 2018, that was my family’s story. We need research to keep creating options because often, the first treatment is not enough.
AML makes up about 15 to 20% of childhood leukemia cases, making it the 5th most common childhood cancer overall.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC6775523
About 64 to 70% of children with AML are alive 5 years after diagnosis, lower than the roughly 90% survival rate for ALL.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC6775523
Survival has improved a lot, from about 22% in the late 1970s to about 68% by 2010 to 2014.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC6775523
About 4 in 10 children treated for AML will relapse, even with strong initial chemotherapy.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC10854518
Survival after relapse is far worse than at diagnosis, between about 16% and 34%.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC10854518
Hodgkin Lymphoma
One of the most curable cancers in children and teens.
of patients under 20 survive at least 5 years, among the highest of any childhood cancer
NCI PDQ
of children and teens are cured, so research now focuses on reducing long-term side effects
NCI PDQ
of children stay cancer-free after treatment (event-free survival)
PubMed Central
About 98% of patients under 20 with Hodgkin lymphoma survive at least 5 years, among the highest survival rates of any childhood cancer.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
About 90 to 95% of children and teens with Hodgkin lymphoma are cured, so research now focuses more on reducing the long-term side effects of treatment.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
About 85% of children stay cancer-free after treatment (event-free survival), slightly lower than overall survival, since some children who relapse are still cured with more treatment.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC8815096
Adding a targeted drug called brentuximab vedotin to standard chemotherapy lowered relapse risk by 10% in a major trial for high-risk children.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
When cancer does return, long-term outlook is meaningfully worse. One large study found 65% overall survival 10 years after a first relapse.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC1978034
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL)
A group of lymph system cancers that behave differently depending on subtype.
of all childhood cancers; rare under age 3 and more common in the teen years
Annals of Hematology
of children and teens under 20 with NHL survive at least 5 years
NCI PDQ
aggressive B-cell lymphomas, lymphoblastic lymphoma, and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, each treated differently
NCI PDQ
Pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma is not a single disease. There are many subtypes that each behaves differently, are treated differently, and have different outcomes. Treatment protocols vary depending on the type and the patient’s genetics.
Director, Leukemia and Lymphoma, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Research Focus: Survivorship · Emory University
NHL makes up about 5 to 7% of all childhood cancers. Unlike many childhood cancers, it is rare in children under 3 and becomes more common in the teen years.
Source: Annals of Hematology · springer.com
About 90% of children and teens under 20 with NHL survive at least 5 years.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Childhood NHL has three main types: aggressive B-cell lymphomas, lymphoblastic lymphoma, and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, each treated differently.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Survival differs by type. B-cell and lymphoblastic lymphomas have survival above 85 to 90% for early-stage disease, while anaplastic large cell lymphoma is somewhat lower, around 55 to 75%.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Worldwide, NHL causes about 11% of childhood cancer cases and deaths, but global deaths from it have dropped about 40% since 1990.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC12241043
After Treatment
Finishing therapy is not the end of the story. Relapse risk and late effects both depend on the exact diagnosis.
Most children with ALL complete about 2 to 3 years of treatment. The vast majority who finish therapy without relapsing are considered cured.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Outlook after relapse varies enormously by cancer type, genetic subtype, and how soon the relapse happens, ranging from over 70% survival in favorable cases to under 20% in the hardest to treat cases.
Source: Leukemia (Nature) · nature.com
Long-term survivors face an elevated lifelong risk of second cancers, heart and lung effects, and fertility effects from chemotherapy and radiation.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Sources for this page
- NCI SEER*Explorer · seer.cancer.gov
- National Cancer Institute: Cancer in Children and Adolescents Fact Sheet · cancer.gov
- NCI PDQ: Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment · cancer.gov
- NCI PDQ: Childhood Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment · cancer.gov
- NCI PDQ: Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment · cancer.gov
- Scientific Reports: childhood ALL incidence and infant outcomes · nature.com
- Journal of Clinical Oncology: long-term trends in childhood ALL survival · ascopubs.org
- Leukemia (Nature): relapse in more than 16,000 children with ALL · nature.com
- Annals of Hematology: pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma · springer.com
- NCBI PubMed Central: leukemia mortality in children · PMC7541866
- NCBI PubMed Central: genetic subtypes of ALL · PMC8393341
- NCBI PubMed Central: childhood AML incidence and survival · PMC6775523
- NCBI PubMed Central: relapsed childhood AML · PMC10854518
- NCBI PubMed Central: event-free survival in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma · PMC8815096
- NCBI PubMed Central: outcomes after first relapse in Hodgkin lymphoma · PMC1978034
- NCBI PubMed Central: global burden of childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma · PMC12241043
The National Center for Childhood Cancer is the trusted source for childhood cancer statistics. Designed for journalists and policymakers, every statistic is fully sourced and includes the original source and year of the data to support accurate reporting, informed policy, and better decisions for children with cancer.