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Key Statistics for Childhood Cancers

How common is cancer in children?

About 9,620 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2024. Childhood cancer rates had been rising slightly for the past few decades, but have stabilized since 2010.

Survival rates for children with cancer

Because of major treatment advances in recent decades, 85% of children with cancer now survive 5 years or more. Overall, this is a huge increase since the mid-1970s, when the 5-year survival rate was about 58%. Still, survival rates can vary a great deal depending on the type of cancer and other factors. The survival rates for a specific type of childhood cancer can be found in our information for that cancer type. 

Mortality in children with cancer

After accidents, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14. About 1,040 children under the age of 15 are expected to die from cancer in 2024. The cancer death rate has declined by more than half from 1970 to 2021 in both children and adolescents, largely due to improvements in treatment and high participation in clinical trials.

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team

Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2024. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2024.

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2020. Special Section: Cancer in Adolescents and Young Adults. American Cancer Society. Atlanta, Ga. 2020.

Last Revised: January 17, 2024

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