Common solid tumors of childhood

Article Abstract:

Although childhood cancer is rare, it remains the leading cause of childhood death by disease in the United States. About 4,000 new cases of solid tumors are diagnosed in children each year, and, fortunately, great strides have been made in the treatment of many childhood tumors. The authors provide an extensive review of childhood solid tumors. Retinoblastomas are important both clinically and theoretically. They are diagnosed early in life, and arise from primitive cells in the retina. If the retinoblastoma has not spread from the eye, removal of the eye is curative and the survival rate is greater than 90 percent. The retinoblastoma is of theoretical interest since it involves a gene which, under normal circumstances, works to suppress tumor growth. Rhabdomyosarcomas arise from the primitive progenitor cells of striated or skeletal muscle. These tumors account for two thirds of all pediatric tumors affecting soft tissue. While the five-year survival rate for rhabdomyosarcoma was about 25 percent in the early 1960s, a five-year survival rate of 71 percent is now being achieved. Astrocytomas are brain tumors which arise from the astrocyte glial cells in the brain; among children, nearly half of all brain tumors are astrocytomas. In contrast to adult astrocytomas, pediatric astrocytomas are relatively benign, and the major determinant of patient survival is whether the tumor is located in a spot accessible surgically. If complete resection is possible, a 10-year survival rate of 80 percent can be achieved. Another important tumor of childhood is Wilms' tumor, which is a kidney tumor that arises from embryonal kidney cells. As in other tumors, great strides have been made in treatment, and in the last 30 years the five-year survival rate for Wilms' tumor has risen from 33 to 81 percent. Other important childhood cancers include osteosarcoma, a bone cancer; neuroblastoma, which arises from primitive cells forming the sympathetic nervous system; and Ewing's sarcoma, which often develops within bone, and is thought to derive from primitive neural cells. Today, roughly half of all Ewing's sarcoma patients may be long-term survivors, while only recently the disease was considered to be uniformly fatal. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Prognosis, Cancer in children, Childhood cancer

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Postoperative chemotherapy and delayed radiation in children less than three years of age with malignant brain tumors

Article Abstract:

One to two years of chemotherapy after surgery for a brain tumor may slow the progression of the disease in young children and allow them to forego radiation treatment. Children under three years old with a brain tumor have a poor prognosis, and they often experience severe side effects from radiation treatment. Of 198 one- and two-year-old children who were surgically treated for a brain tumor, 57 had a complete resection and 112 had a partial resection. One-year-old children were given chemotherapy for two years and two-year-old children were treated for one year. Thirty-nine of 102 children had a complete or partial response to chemotherapy. Forty-one percent of two-year-olds were free of disease one year later and 39% of one-year-olds were free of disease two years later. Those whose tumors were completely removed at surgery had the highest disease-free survival rates.

Usage, Chemotherapy, Brain tumors

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Common musculoskeletal tumors of childhood and adolescence

Article Abstract:

Rhabdomyoscarcoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma are the most common musculoskeletal tumors in children. Rhabdomyoscarcoma occurs in soft tissues whereas osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma occur in bone. Research has revealed the gene mutations that cause these tumors. Effective chemotherapy has led to an improved prognosis for these children. Unfortunately, 30% to 40% of the children will have a relapse. Many children also develop complications from treatment, including heart disease and a second type of cancer.

Rhabdomyosarcoma, Osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma

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