Overview | Cancer.Net

Cancer in teenagers is not as common as cancer in adults. However, doctors are learning that cancer in teenagers is a different disease than in adults and may require different treatment. Compared with adults, teenagers have higher rates of Hodgkin lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph nodes, which are tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight disease); bone cancers, such as osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma; and germ cell cancers (germ cells are special cells in a developing embryo that become the testes in males and the ovaries in females). Other common types of cancer include leukemia (cancer of a the blood-producing cells of the bone marrow) and brain tumors.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases.
Cancer occurs when cells in the body form a lump or mass called a tumor.
Tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors may grow, but they do not spread to other parts of the body and usually are not life threatening. Malignant tumors grow and invade other tissues in the body.
Cancer can begin almost anywhere in the body.

Cancer.Net provides information on more than 85 types of cancer, including sections on symptoms (things you feel that are not normal), diagnosis (determining the name of the disease), and treatment. In the United States, most teenagers who have cancer are treated at a pediatric oncology center and have access to the latest treatments. This is especially true for teenagers who have a brain tumor, lymphoma, leukemia, or a bone tumor. The few exceptions are teenagers with cancers that occur more frequently in adults, such as melanoma, testicular cancer, and ovarian cancer. In these situations, teenagers usually receive treatments that are similar to adults, but it is important that teenagers also have support programs designed for them.

Some of the more common cancer types affecting teenagers are listed below:

More Information

Cancer.Net: Cancer in Teenagers