What is Cancer?
According to the charity organization Cancerbackup, cancer is a disease of the cells. Normally, cells divide in an orderly and controlled manner. If for some reason the process gets out of control, the cells carry on dividing, developing into a lump which is called a tumour. Tumours can be either benign or malignant. Cancer is the name given to a malignant tumour.
Cancer is a major public health problem in the United States as well as many other parts of the world. Today, one in four deaths in the U.S. is due to cancer and it is the second most common killer in children, exceeded only by accidents.
Cancers that affect children are quite different from adult cancers in that they tend to occur in different parts of the body. They also look different under the microscope and respond differently to treatment. Cure rates for children are much higher than for most adult cancers. The 5-year relative survival rate among children has improved from 58% for patients diagnosed in 1975 to 1977 to 80% for those diagnosed in 1996 to 2003.
Some of the most common types of child cancers are:
Leukemia - 33%
Brain and Nervous System - 21%
Hodgkin Lymphoma - 10%-15%
Neuroblastoma - 7%
Wilms Tumor - 5%
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