Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Biology and Etiology of Rare Pediatric Tumors

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Rare Tumors In Children and Adolescents

Part of the book series: Pediatric Oncology ((PEDIATRICO))

  • 1195 Accesses

Abstract

Different malignant tumor types occur in children compared to adults. While in childhood we typically find leukemia, lymphoma, and various embryonal tumors, in adulthood, mainly gastrointestinal cancer, melanoma, malignancies of the head and neck, and lung and breast cancers occur. Not only tumor types and frequency differs, also the pathogenetic origin and genetic factors in malignant childhood tumors are unlike those in adult cancer. Cancer biology changes over age as the inner and outer circumstances at the time of cancer initiating mutation vary according to state of development. Neoplasia in childhood and adolescence are mainly based on an intrinsic system error – mislead development within embryogenesis. These are often very simple but specific DNA, chromosome, or genomic rearrangements. Epithelial tumors and other adult-type tumors like secondary leukemia on the other hand show more complex genetic alterations. A long history of carcinogenic and mutagenic exposition, as well as mislead differentiation, aging, and elimination processes are involved in carcinogenesis in adulthood. These differences might also explain why childhood cancer is more responsive to therapy than adult cancer (Haas 2004).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 229.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Chang MH, Chen CJ et al (1997) Universal hepatitis B vaccination in Taiwan and the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in children. Taiwan Childhood Hepatoma Study Group. N Engl J Med 336(26):1855–1859

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clericuzio CL, Chen E et al (2003) Serum alpha-fetoprotein screening for hepatoblastoma in children with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome or isolated hemihyperplasia. J Pediatr 143(2):270–272

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cotterill SJ, Ahrens S et al (2000) Prognostic factors in Ewing’s tumor of bone: analysis of 975 patients from the European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing’s Sarcoma Study Group. J Clin Oncol 18(17):3108–3114

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Darbari A, Sabin KM et al (2003) Epidemiology of primary hepatic malignancies in U.S. children. Hepatology 38(3):560–566

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrari A, Casanova M et al (2010) Peculiar features and tailored management of adult cancers occurring in pediatric age. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 10(11):1837–1851

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haas OA (2004) Genetic diagnosis in pediatric oncology, de Gruyter

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayward NK (2003) Genetics of melanoma predisposition. Oncogene 22(20):3053–3062

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jarzab B, Handkiewicz-Junak D (2007) Differentiated thyroid cancer in children and adults: same or distinct disease? Hormones (Athens) 6(3):200–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Lalloo F, Varley J et al (2003) Prediction of pathogenic mutations in patients with early-onset breast cancer by family history. Lancet 361(9363):1101–1102

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moysich KB, Menezes RJ et al (2002) Chernobyl-related ionising radiation exposure and cancer risk: an epidemiological review. Lancet Oncol 3(5):269–279

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perentesis JP (1997) Why is age such an important independent prognostic factor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia? Leukemia 11(suppl 4):S4–S7

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Plaschke J, Linnebacher M et al (2006) Compound heterozygosity for two MSH6 mutations in a patient with early onset of HNPCC-associated cancers, but without hematological malignancy and brain tumor. Eur J Hum Genet 14(5):561–566

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raab-Traub N (2002) Epstein-Barr virus in the pathogenesis of NPC. Semin Cancer Biol 12(6):431–441

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren ZF, Liu WS et al (2010) Effect of family history of cancers and environmental factors on risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Guangdong, China. Cancer Epidemiol 34(4):419–424

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rivera GK, Pui CH et al (1993) Progress in the treatment of adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer 71(10 suppl):3400–3405

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin P, Williams JP et al (2010) Cancer genesis across the age spectrum: associations with tissue development, maintenance, and senescence. Semin Radiat Oncol 20(1):3–11

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider DT, Calaminus G et al (2000) Primary mediastinal germ cell tumors in children and adolescents: results of the German cooperative protocols MAKEI 83/86, 89, and 96. J Clin Oncol 18(4):832–839

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider DT, Calaminus G et al (2004) Epidemiologic analysis of 1,442 children and adolescents registered in the German germ cell tumor protocols. Pediatr Blood Cancer 42(2):169–175

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vargas SO, French CA et al (2001) Upper respiratory tract carcinoma with chromosomal translocation 15;19: evidence for a distinct disease entity of young patients with a rapidly fatal course. Cancer 92(5):1195–1203

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Erlangen, Loschgestrasse 15, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Ines B. Brecht

  2. Emma Children’s Hospital – Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Johannes H. M. Merks

Authors
  1. Ines B. Brecht
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Johannes H. M. Merks
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ines B. Brecht .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Klinikum Dortmund gGmbH, Beurhausstr. 40, Dortmund, 44137, Germany

    Dominik T. Schneider

  2. Klinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loschgestr. 15, Erlangen, 91054, Germany

    Ines B. Brecht

  3. at Egleston, Dept. Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Uppergate Drive NE., 2015, Atlanta, 30322, Georgia, USA

    Thomas A. Olson

  4. Unità di Oncologia Pediatrica, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Via G. Venezian 1, Milano, 20133, Italy

    Andrea Ferrari

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Brecht, I.B., Merks, J.H.M. (2012). Biology and Etiology of Rare Pediatric Tumors. In: Schneider, D., Brecht, I., Olson, T., Ferrari, A. (eds) Rare Tumors In Children and Adolescents. Pediatric Oncology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04197-6_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04197-6_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-04196-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-04197-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation