Childhood Cancer In Children

Introduction Cancer, while one of the biggest fears in many people’s minds, is excessively prevalent today especially in a world where it seems as if everything is or could possibly be a carcinogen. Though knowledge is rather limited when it comes to the causes of cancer and why it appears in some people but not others, it is known that “cancer occurs when a cell is genetically altered and unable to control its own growth and proliferation” (MacDonald, 2010, p. 176). Unfortunately no one, including children and adolescents, is immune to cancer so it is not uncommon to see children as young as newborns to as old as late teens develop cancer (MacDonald, 2010). While there are is not a set list of childhood cancers versus adulthood cancers, there are types of cancer that are more prevalent in children than adults and also types of cancer that are more prevalent in either young children or adolescents (MacDonald, 2010). One thing is for certain; when a child is diagnosed with cancer it affects the family unit as a whole and “life is never the same” (Mckenzie & Curle, 2012, p.648).
Types of Childhood Cancer and Treatment
The most common types of cancer in adolescents are Hodgkin’s lymphoma, thyroid carcinoma, brain and central nervous system tumors, and testicular germ cell tumors (Ward et al., 2014). Childhood cancer has a shorter time to develop and is often diagnosed before genetic abnormalities have had time to accumulate (MacDonald, 2010). In addition to having types of cancer that are more prevalent in different aged children and young adults, race and ethnicity also plays a role in whether or not a child will be diagnosed with