Cancer Types
Pediatric Solid Tumors
Neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, and germ cell tumors are roughly 15 to 20% of all childhood cancers. Survival ranges from about 96% to closer to 50%, depending on which one a child has.
Natalee, a Rally Kid diagnosed with Wilms tumor
Five numbers that define pediatric solid tumors
of all childhood cancers are neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, and germ cell tumors combined
NCI PDQ
neuroblastoma is the most common cancer diagnosed in infants and the most common solid tumor outside the brain
NCI PDQ
very different embryonal and germ cell cancers, arising from the nervous system, kidney, eye, liver, and reproductive tissue
NCI PDQ
of all childhood cancer deaths are caused by neuroblastoma alone, despite it being only about 8% of cases
Cancers
Wilms tumor 5-year survival for ages 0–14, versus 50–60% for high-risk neuroblastoma
NCI PDQ
Neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, and germ cell tumors together make up roughly 15 to 20% of all childhood cancers.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer diagnosed in infants and the most common solid tumor outside the brain in children.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
These are not 1 but 5 very different embryonal and germ cell cancers, arising from the nervous system, kidney, eye, liver, and reproductive tissue, each with its own biology and outlook.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Neuroblastoma alone causes about 15% of all childhood cancer deaths despite making up only about 8% of childhood cancer cases, a disproportionately large share of mortality for its size.
Source: Cancers · doi.org
Wilms tumor 5-year survival reaches about 96% for children ages 0 to 14, making it one of the most curable childhood solid tumors, in sharp contrast to high-risk neuroblastoma, where survival is closer to 50 to 60%.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Most common pediatric solid tumors
Neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, and germ cell tumors are the most common solid tumors of childhood outside the brain, bone, and soft tissue. Nearly all occur in infants and very young children, though germ cell tumors also become more common again in adolescence.
Neuroblastoma
The most common cancer that starts outside the brain in young children.
of all childhood cancers in the U.S.
NCI PDQ
overall survival, up from about 72% over the past 15 years
NCI PDQ
survival for high-risk disease, versus 95–100% for low-risk disease
NCI PDQ
patients has the MYCN gene change, one of the strongest warning signs in childhood cancer
Cancers
Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer that starts outside the brain in children, making up about 6% of all childhood cancers in the U.S.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Overall survival has risen from about 72% to 81% over the past 15 years.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
Survival varies enormously by risk group, from 95 to 100% for low-risk disease down to only 50 to 60% for high-risk disease.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
About half of all children diagnosed with neuroblastoma are classified high-risk, usually because they are older than 18 months with cancer that has spread, or have a gene change called MYCN amplification.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
About 1 in 5 patients has the MYCN gene change, one of the strongest warning signs in childhood cancer. Survival is only about 50% even with intensive treatment.
Source: Cancers · doi.org
Wilms Tumor
The most common kidney cancer in children, and one of the most curable.
children affected, about 5% of all childhood cancers
NCI PDQ
of children ages 0–14 survive at least 5 years
NCI PDQ
relapse rate with modern treatment, though 30–40% where advanced care is not available
Journal of Surgical Research
of children who survive the first 5 years are still alive 25 years later
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Wilms tumor is the most common kidney cancer in children, affecting about 1 in 10,000 children and making up about 5% of all childhood cancers.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
About 96% of children ages 0 to 14 with Wilms tumor survive at least 5 years, one of the most curable childhood solid tumors.
Source: NCI PDQ · cancer.gov
The relapse rate has fallen to under 15% with modern treatment, though it can be much higher, 30 to 40%, where advanced care is not available.
Source: Journal of Surgical Research · doi.org
Once the cancer relapses, survival drops to about 30 to 50%.
Source: Journal of Global Oncology · doi.org
Children who survive the first 5 years do extremely well long-term. About 94% are still alive 25 years later.
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology · doi.org
Retinoblastoma
The most common eye cancer in children, highly curable when caught early.
new U.S. cases each year, and about 9,000 worldwide
Cancer Medicine
cases are inherited, which usually causes tumors in both eyes and at a younger age
Cancer Medicine
U.S. 5-year survival, up from about 92% between 1975 and 2004
Cancer Medicine
survival in low-income countries, versus over 95% in wealthy countries, mainly due to delayed diagnosis
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
With retinoblastoma, you are fighting for two priceless things at once: your child’s life and your child’s sight. We are incredibly grateful that research has made this cancer highly curable, but as parents, we want more. We want treatments that not only save our children’s lives, but also protect their vision and give them the fullest life possible.
Retinoblastoma is the most common eye cancer in children, about 300 new U.S. cases and 9,000 cases worldwide each year.
Source: Cancer Medicine · doi.org
It is caused by a change in the RB1 gene. About 4 in 10 cases are inherited, which usually causes tumors in both eyes and at a younger age.
Source: Cancer Medicine · doi.org
In the U.S., 5-year survival rose from about 92% to 97% between 1975 and 2004, and now exceeds 90% in developed countries.
Source: Cancer Medicine · doi.org
This is one of the biggest income-based survival gaps in childhood cancer, over 95% survival in wealthy countries but often under 40% in low-income countries, mainly due to delayed diagnosis.
Source: Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention · doi.org
Tumor size at diagnosis is the single biggest predictor of survival, bigger than which eye is affected or where a child lives.
Source: The Oncologist · doi.org
Hepatoblastoma
The most common liver cancer in children.
of childhood cancers are liver cancers, and hepatoblastoma is most of that
Cancer Communications
overall survival depending on the era studied, reflecting real progress in surgery and chemotherapy
HPB
cure rate for advanced-stage disease, much lower than for tumors that can be fully removed by surgery
Cancer Communications
children who reach remission will have their cancer come back
HPB
Liver cancer makes up only about 1 to 2% of childhood cancers, and hepatoblastoma is most of that, about 2.3 cases per million children worldwide.
Source: Cancer Communications · doi.org
Overall survival is about 63 to 82% depending on the era studied, reflecting real progress in surgery and chemotherapy.
Source: HPB · doi.org
Advanced-stage hepatoblastoma is cured 50 to 70% of the time, much lower than for tumors that can be fully removed by surgery.
Source: Cancer Communications · doi.org
About 3 in 10 children who reach remission will have their cancer come back.
Source: HPB · doi.org
Surgery, removing the tumor or, in severe cases, a liver transplant, combined with chemotherapy meaningfully improves survival.
Source: Cancers · doi.org
Germ Cell Tumors
A group of tumors arising from the cells that would normally form eggs or sperm, occurring both in and outside the reproductive organs.
of childhood cancers
JCO Oncology Practice · NCBI Bookshelf
5-year overall survival for malignant germ cell tumors in a large multicenter cohort
PubMed Central
long-term survival for choriocarcinoma and mediastinal tumors, the worst-prognosis subtypes
NCBI Bookshelf · PubMed Central
Germ cell tumors are cancers that originate from the cell destined to become either sperm or the egg, and are more commonly known as testicular cancer or ovarian germ cell tumors, although these tumors can arise throughout the body. These tumors are the most common form of cancer in boys/young men and the most common form of ovarian cancer in girls/young women under the age of 30. Although the chemotherapy used since the 1980s results in cure for the majority of patients, it causes many severe long-term side effects. Surviving is not the same as surviving well. Our goal has been to find innovative new therapies that increase chance of cure with fewer long-term side effects.
Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard Chan School of Public Health
Pediatric germ cell tumors make up about 3.5% of childhood cancers.
Sources: JCO Oncology Practice · doi.org · NCBI Bookshelf · NBK13572
In a large multicenter cohort, malignant germ cell tumors had a 94% 5-year overall survival.
Source: NCBI PubMed Central · PMC10670163
Yolk sac tumor is the most common malignant subtype, and germinoma is the least aggressive subtype.
Source: NCBI Bookshelf · NBK13572
Choriocarcinoma and mediastinal tumors carry the worst prognosis, with long-term survival below 50%.
Sources: NCBI Bookshelf · NBK13572 · NCBI PubMed Central · PMC10093083
Standard treatment combines complete surgical removal with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy given before surgery is used when a tumor cannot be safely removed right away.
Sources: NCI PDQ (NCBI Bookshelf) · NBK65877 · NCBI PubMed Central · PMC10093083
After Treatment
Because survival is now high for several of these cancers, the focus has shifted to what treatment leaves behind.
Long-term survivors face an elevated later-life risk of death from treatment effects. Wilms tumor survivors, for example, face nearly 5 times the risk of the general population, mostly from second cancers and heart or lung problems.
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology · doi.org
Because survival is now so high for several of these cancers, treatment increasingly focuses on preserving organ function and quality of life, such as saving vision in retinoblastoma or a kidney in Wilms tumor, not just survival alone.
Source: Cancer Medicine · doi.org
Chemotherapy can damage the ovaries and reduce the number of remaining eggs, increasing the risk of primary ovarian insufficiency, irregular or absent menstrual periods, early menopause, and reduced fertility. The risk depends on factors including the type and dose of treatment and age at treatment. In general, younger children may have better preservation of ovarian function than adolescents and young adults, although the risk varies substantially by treatment.
Source: Children’s Oncology Group · childrensoncologygroup.org
Sources for this page
- NCI PDQ: Neuroblastoma Treatment · cancer.gov
- NCI PDQ: Wilms Tumor and Other Childhood Kidney Tumors Treatment · cancer.gov
- Bartolucci et al., 2022, Cancers: neuroblastoma mortality and MYCN · doi.org
- Cunningham et al., 2020, Journal of Surgical Research: Wilms tumor relapse · doi.org
- Njuguna et al., 2017, Journal of Global Oncology: survival after Wilms tumor relapse · doi.org
- Robison et al., 2009, Journal of Clinical Oncology: long-term survivorship · doi.org
- Abdelazeem et al., 2022, Cancer Medicine: retinoblastoma incidence and survival · doi.org
- Handayani et al., 2021, Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention: global retinoblastoma survival gap · doi.org
- Guo et al., 2024, The Oncologist: predictors of retinoblastoma survival · doi.org
- Feng et al., 2019, Cancer Communications: hepatoblastoma incidence and outcomes · doi.org
- Allan et al., 2013, HPB: hepatoblastoma survival and recurrence · doi.org
- Yang et al., 2019, Cancers: surgery and transplant in hepatoblastoma · doi.org
- Frazier et al., 2019, JCO Oncology Practice: pediatric germ cell tumors · doi.org
- Isaacs, 2013 (NCBI Bookshelf): germ cell tumor subtypes and prognosis · NBK13572
- Wang et al., 2023 (NCBI PubMed Central): malignant germ cell tumor survival · PMC10670163
- Li et al., 2023 (NCBI PubMed Central): germ cell tumor treatment and prognosis · PMC10093083
- NCI PDQ (NCBI Bookshelf): Childhood Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors Treatment · NBK65877
- Children’s Oncology Group: Ovarian and Reproductive Health after treatment · childrensoncologygroup.org
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.