Adolescents with Cancer: The Influence of Close Relationships o ...

In addition, the probability of developing childhood cancer varies slightly by gender when all cancer sites are combined. Specifically, newborn males have a 1 in 300 chance of developing cancer prior to age 20, while newborn females have a 1 in 333 chance of developing cancer prior to age 20 (Ries et al., 1999). However, it is important to note that for some sites/histologies, there may be other factors (i.e., age) where there are differences by gender. For example, among children under 15 years of age, males have somewhat higher rates of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but among adolescents ages 15 to 19 years, females have somewhat higher rates (Ries et al., 1999). Specific to race, the incidence of cancer among Caucasian children is proportionally greater than that among African American children, with the incidence of cancer among Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander children falling between that of Caucasian and African American children (Ries et al., 1999). Native Americans appear to have the lowest incidence of childhood cancer (Ries et al., 1999).

Etiology of Childhood Cancer

Cancer is a general term used to describe uncontrolled, abnormal cell growth. Such growth occurs when a cell’s genetic instructions allow proliferation of cells without normal control mechanisms (Li & Wendt, 1998). Many childhood cancers occur very early in life and understandably, parents seek a specific etiology or etiologies. Unlike cancers among adults, however, childhood cancers are not significantly related to lifestyle choices such as tobacco or alcohol use, poor diet, or not enough physical activity (American Cancer Society, 2007). There is some evidence to suggest, though, that chemical and radiation exposure may contribute to certain types of childhood cancers.