Most
Common Teenage Cancers
Leukemias: cancers of blood-forming cells
-acute lymphoblastic (ALL): most common childhood cancer
affects lymphocytes (a white blood cell that protects the body from infections)
cancerous cells accumulate in the bone marrow replacing normal blood cells
-acute myeloid (AML): affects many different white blood cells
cancerous cells take over normal blood cells in the bone marrow
Osteosarcoma: most common childhood bone caner
often in the knee or upper arm
Ewing's Sarcoma: second most common childhood bone cancer
often in flat bones like the ribs and pelvis
Lymphomas: tumors of the lymph system
-Hodgkin's Disease: affects lymph nodes and the spleen
-Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: all other lymphomas
affects the other parts of the lymph system
Brain tumors
-gliomas: tumors that arise from brain cells called glial cells
-astrocytomas: tumors that arise from brain cells called astrocytes
-ependymomas: tumors that arise from cells lining the brain passageways that produce and store cerebrospinal fluid
(the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord)
Neuroblastoma: solid tumor that originates from cells
in the nervous system
the tumor can be located anywhere along the spinal cord, but is most often near the adrenal glands
Retinoblastoma: tumor of the retina in the eye
there can be tumors in one or both eyes
Kidney Tumors
-Wilm's tumor: solid tumor originating in the kidneys