Childhood Cancer Types

July 23, 2025

This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Janet Yoon, M.D., clinical professor, medical director of the Pediatric Musculoskeletal Tumor Program; and Nicole Karras, M.D., associate clinical professor, Department of Pediatrics, City of Hope^® Cancer Center Duarte. 

There are many types of ​​childhood cancer – also referred to as pediatric cancer. Different childhood cancer types affect different parts of the body. The causes and symptoms of childhood cancers also vary according to what kind of pediatric cancer a patient has. However, all pediatric cancers affect children and adolescents aged 19 and under.

Childhood Gastrointestinal Cancers

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​Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are those that affect the body’s digestive system, which includes the mouth and esophagus, the stomach and intestines and the anus. GI cancers are relatively rare among children, accounting for less than 5% of all pediatric cancers. However, some GI cancers may affect children, as detailed below.

Gastrointestinal lymphoma: Although it is still rare, GI ​​lymphoma is the most common childhood GI cancer. It develops in tissues that form part of the body’s lymph system and may affect the stomach, intestines or esophagus.

Colorectal carcinoma: Colorectal carcinoma is a form of cancer that starts in the tissue lining the rectum or large intestine.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST): ​​GIST is a cancer type that most frequently affects the lining of the stomach or small intestine, but it is also found in other parts of the GI system.

Other gastric and esophageal tumors: A range of different types of cancer may affect parts of the stomach, esophagus and intestines. Some are benign tumors, while others may be cancer. Cancer specialists will determine what kind of tumor a patient has and whether it is cancer or not during the diagnosis process.

Childhood Germ Cell Tumors

Germ cell tumors are a type of cancer that develops in the body’s germline cells, which are reproductive cells that help control how the female body produces eggs and how the male body produces sperm. Childhood germ cell tumors mainly affect the ovaries in girls and the testicles in boys. However, in rare cases, they may also affect sites outside the reproductive system.

Childhood Head and Neck Cancers

Head and neck cancers in children and adolescents may affect several different parts of the body, from the mouth and throat to the nose, sinuses and glands in the head and neck. Childhood head and neck cancers account for between 2% and 15% of all pediatric cancer diagnoses.

Oral cancer: Oral cancer, sometimes called oropharyngeal or oral cavity cancer, refers to any cancer that develops in the tissue inside the mouth.

Nasal and sinus cancer: Although uncommon, cancers that develop in the nasal passage (inside the nose) or the sinuses (the channels inside the head that form part of the respiratory system) may develop in children under the age of 19.

Salivary gland cancer: This form of cancer may develop in the salivary glands, which are located inside the head around the mouth and play a role in creating saliva and producing antibodies.

Throat cancer: Also called esophageal cancer, throat cancer is rare in children, however, it may occur in the tissue lining the throat or in glands inside the throat.

​​Thyroid cancer: Childhood thyroid cancer develops in the thyroid gland, which is located in the neck and helps produce the thyroid hormone. Though rare in children, it tends to affect adolescents and girls more often than boys.

Pediatric Blood Cancers

The two main ​types of blood cancer that affect kids are ​childhood leukemia and lymphoma. Leukemia accounts for around a third of all childhood cancer diagnoses, making it the most common pediatric cancer. Lymphoma is the third most common cancer type among children, after leukemia and brain tumors.

Leukemia: Childhood leukemia accounts for 1 in 3 pediatric cancer diagnoses. Leukemia develops in certain kinds of cells that eventually develop into blood cells. The most common childhood leukemias are:

• ​Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), which accounts for 3 out of 4 cases of childhood leukemia, and begins in a type of cell called lymphocytes
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which accounts for 1 in 4 cases of childhood leukemia, and begins in a type of cell called myeloid cells

Chronic leukemias, which are more indolent forms of the disease, are less common in children.

Lymphoma: Lymphoma is one of the most common types of cancer to affect children and adolescents. It develops in cells called lymphocytes, which form a part of the body’s lymph system – which manages how fluids move through the body and plays a role in the immune system. The two main types of lymphoma are:

• ​Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is more common in younger children and infants, and begins in T cells or B cells
• Hodgkin lymphoma, which is more common in adolescents, and begins in B cells

Pediatric Brain Tumors and Spinal Cancers

​Childhood brain and spinal tumors may affect the brain, the spinal cord or the nervous system. Brain tumors are one of the most common types of childhood cancer, alongside blood cancers. Pediatric brain and spinal cancers may develop in a variety of locations and cell types. ​​

Medulloblastoma: Childhood medulloblastoma is a cancer that begins in a type of cell which is a precursor to a nerve cell. It mostly affects younger children and develops in the cerebellum, a part of the lower brain at the back of the head.

Neuroblastoma: Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that develops in neuroblasts, which are precursor cells to nerve cells. It may occur anywhere in the nervous system. 

One group of childhood cancers that affects the body’s nervous system are called gliomas. They are called this because they usually begin in glial cells. Some common types of childhood gliomas include:

• Astrocytoma, which starts in a type of cell called an astrocyte and may affect any part of the central nervous system
• Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which is a rare but aggressive kind of tumor that starts in the brain stem, where the brain connects to the spinal cord. It's most common in children
• Gangliogliomas, which occur in both glial cells and another type of cell, and are usually benign
• Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNET), which occur in both glial cells and neuronal cells and affect the nervous system

Pediatric Sarcoma

​​Sarcoma is the term for any cancer type that affects the muscles, bones or soft tissues of the body. Childhood bone sarcomas most often affect the legs, arms, ribs or pelvis. Pediatric soft tissue sarcomas may develop almost anywhere in the body. Together, they account for around 15% of all childhood cancer diagnoses.

​​Osteosarcoma: The most common bone sarcoma in children and teens is osteosarcoma. It tends to develop in areas where bones are growing, such as the knee joint, the pelvis or the arm bones. ​​

Ewing sarcoma: The second most common bone sarcoma is Ewing sarcoma, which may affect the arms and legs or other bones in the body. It is an aggressive form of cancer.

Rhabdomyosarcoma: A rare kind of soft tissue sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma may develop in any part of the body’s soft tissues, including muscle, fat, tendons or ligaments.

Other Childhood Cancers

Many other cancer types that affect adults may also affect infants, children and adolescents. Some of the more common types of other childhood cancer are listed below.

Hepatoblastoma: Hepatoblastoma is a rare kind of cancer that occurs in the cells lining the liver.

Pancreatoblastoma: A very rare kind of cancer, pancreatoblastoma begins in cells that are still developing in a child’s pancreas.

Pleuropulmonary blastoma: Pleuropulmonary blastoma is a rare but aggressive childhood cancer that develops in cells in the lungs or the tissue surrounding the lungs. ​​

Retinoblastoma: Retinoblastoma is a form of cancer that develops in the retina of one or both eyes. It primarily affects children under 5.

Rhabdoid tumors: A rare and aggressive cancer type, rhabdoid tumors can develop in the nervous system, the brain or the soft tissues of the body. ​​

Wilms tumor: Also called nephroblastoma, Wilms tumors are a type of cancer that affects children’s kidneys. Wilms tumors are the fourth most common pediatric cancer, after leukemia, brain tumors and lymphoma.