Unusual/Rare Cancers of Childhood

Childhood cancer on its own is rare, with an estimated 9,620 children under the age of 15 and 5,290 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2024. Overall, the incidence rate for invasive cancer in children has stabilized since 2016, while the rate of cases in adolescents has increased 1% per year from 2015 through 2019. But certain cancers in children and adolescents are so rare that only a handful of cancer types will be diagnosed in some years.  

Childhood cancers this rare can lack information about the best treatment options. In the PDQ linked below, the available information about these rare cancers is grouped by where they are found in the body.  

Unusual Cancers of Childhood (PDQ®)

Source: National Cancer Institute