Although cancer death has significantly decreased in the United States between 1970 through 2020 for the age group of 0 to 14 years, the National Institute of Health (NIH) is predicting about 1,050 children to lose their lives from the disease.
Cancer is a chronic disease affecting not only adults but millions of children worldwide. Every year, an estimated 4,00,000 children between the ages of 0 to 19 suffer and lose their lives to cancer. In the United States alone, according to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,more than 290 children and adolescents in the country are diagnosed with cancer every week.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2025
To shed light on the widespread occurrence of childhood cancer across the globe, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) marked the month of September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This initiative was established to highlight the global burden of childhood cancer and IARCs intention to prevent and address childhood cancer worldwide.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the likelihood of surviving a diagnosis of childhood cancer depends on the country in which the child lives. “In high-income countries, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, but in many low and middle-income countries, less than 30% are cured,” the WHO claims. Some of the most concerning childhood cancers, the global health organisation highlight are leukaemia, brain tumour, lymphoma, and solid tumours like neuroblastoma and Wilms tumour.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. A time to come together, raise our voices, and take action.
The gold ribbon represents the strength, courage, and resilience of children affected by cancer. Let’s speak with one strong, united voice. https://t.co/r9jgenu2eUpic.twitter.com/CXw3i49l9Z Childhood Cancer International (@IntChildCancer) September 24, 2025
NIH Predicts 1,050 Children To Lose Lives From Cancer
Although cancer death has significantly decreased in the United States between 1970 and 2020 for the age group of 0 to 14 years, the National Institute of Health (NIH) is predicting about 1,050 children to lose their lives from the disease in 2025. Despite continued efforts to prevent cancer by global health organizations, cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease among children. However, St. Jude Research Hospital told Healthsite that since the hospital was opened in 1962, the hospital has contributed to the childhood cancer survival rate by 20% to more than 80% in the United States.
The WHO and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital launched a Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) in 2018 to increase the survival rate of children with cancer globally to at least 60% by 2030 while reducing their suffering and improving their quality of life.
Causes Of Childhood Cancer
Studies have shown that some of the most common causes of cancers in children are due to inherited mutations, which are estimated to be from 8 to 10 per cent. ” Most cancers in children, like those in adults, are thought to develop as a result of mutations in genes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth and eventually cancer. In adults, these gene mutations reflect the cumulative effects of ageing and long-term exposure to cancer-causing substances,” The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states.
“However, identifying potential environmental causes of childhood cancer has been difficult, partly because cancer in children is rare and partly because it is difficult to determine what children might have been exposed to early in their development. More information about possible causes of cancer in children is available in the fact sheet, Cancer in Children and Adolescents.”
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