Renal and Thyroid Cancer Increased in US Kids and Teens

Cancer rates among black children and teens also increased

(RxWiki News) Childhood cancer continues to be a leading cause of death among children and teens in the US every year. But rates of two cancers in particular — renal and thyroid — may be rising more than others.

While overall cancer rates remained stable over the course of a recent study, they increased among black children.

Specific causes of childhood cancer increases were unknown, but similar rises in adult cancers may be tied to obesity, the study authors noted.

"If cancer runs in your family, tell your child’s pediatrician."

According to a new study — published Sept. 10 in the journal Pediatrics — rates of renal and thyroid cancer increased among children and teens in the US between 2001 and 2009.

Lead study author David Siegel, MD, of Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues studied cancer in kids and teens between 0 and 19 years old.

They reviewed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program databases.

The authors found 120,137 cases of childhood and teen cancer during the nine-year study. They noted that, per every 1 million children, 171 had cancer.

The researchers noted that renal cancer rates among children and adolescents increased by 5.4 percent over the course of the study — and thyroid cancer rates increased by 4.9 percent.

The study also revealed an increase of 1.3 percent in cancer rates among black children.

Despite these increases, the overall rate of all cancers combined remained stable during the study period, the authors noted.

The study authors wrote that “the study’s findings highlight an opportunity to improve our knowledge of the driving factors of these cancer incidence rate trends, and this understanding may help develop new preventive measures.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded the study. The authors noted no conflicts of interest.

Review Date: 
September 16, 2014