Pediatric Lymphomas
Lymphomas are cancers that develop in the lymphatic system of the body. The lymphatic system is a network of glands and vessels that transports lymph, a clear fluid carrying infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes. Formed from a precursor type of cell called a stem cell, lymphocytes are made and stored in the lymph nodes -- small bean-shaped organs found in the neck, chest, abdomen, groin, and in the underarm region. The spleen, thymus, tonsils, and bone marrow are also parts of the lymphatic system. Lymphomas develop when the white blood cells within the lymphatic system begin to grow abnormally.
Lymphomas are the third most common form of cancer among children, following leukemia and brain tumors. There are two general types of lymphoma found in children, Hodgkin Lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and its most recent Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) analysis, approximately 1,700 young people under 20 years of age are diagnosed with lymphoma each year in the United States. (Approximately 850-900 diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma and 750-800 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.)
Over the last two decades, the incidence of Hodgkin Lymphoma among young people younger than 20 years of age decreased slightly, as reported in the most recent SEER analysis. In the same period of time, the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children younger than 15 years of age remained fairly constant; while there was a slight increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among 15- to 19-year-olds.