Pediatric renal tumors account for approximately 5% of malignancies in children younger than 15 years old and 3.6% of malignancies in children younger than 20 years old. Among 9731 patients registered with the National Wilms Tumor Study Group (NWTSG) (1969–2002),…
Neuroblastoma is an embryonal tumor of the sympathetic nervous system arising from the neural crest. It is a common extracranial solid tumor of childhood and is a disease distinguished by its clinical and biologic heterogeneity. The prognosis for persons with…
Lymphomas are neoplasms caused by the malignant transformation of the constituent cells of the immune system. Combined, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas are the third most common malignancies in children and adolescents, with Hodgkin lymphoma being the most common cancer in…
The biologic features and clinical characteristics of infant leukemias differ significantly from those of leukemias in older children. Infant leukemias are distinguished not only by the young age of patients at diagnosis but by their unique morphologic, immunologic, clinical, and…
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by the malignant clonal transformation of a hematopoietic stem or progenitor cell. In recent years, deeper understanding has been gained into the chromosomal changes and specific…
The acute leukemias of childhood are rare diseases that collectively represent about 30% of malignancies in children younger than age 15 years. Approximately 3000 new cases of childhood leukemia occur annually in the United States, 80% of which are acute…
Successful treatment of pediatric solid tumors requires collaborative management by the disciplines of surgery, oncology, and radiotherapy. Multimodal therapy achieves the highest rate of cure in many solid tumors and often minimizes long-term morbidity. Smooth collaboration provides optimal care. The…
Principles of Radiation Oncology Radiation oncology is an effective and often critical component of multidisciplinary cancer care for many childhood malignancies. The delivery of radiation for the pediatric population is highly complex because of the diversity of patients, tumor location,…
The role of the immune system in controlling cancer was subject to debate for decades, reflecting the limited understanding of the immune system at the time and the complexity of tumor immunology. However, over time a wealth of evidence from…
In the past two decades we have seen substantial advances in the number of available chemotherapeutic agents to treat a variety of neoplastic diseases, as well as in the discovery and development of new anticancer drugs, while our understanding of…