An increased risk of childhood cancer is associated with underlying genetic conditions, exposure to radiation, toxins and infections.
Some different examples of factors associated with an increased risk of pediatric tumors:
| Factor | Association |
Infection |
Epstein-Barr virus and Burkitts lymphoma in Africa, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. |
Inherited condition |
Down Syndrome and ALL, AML myelodysplasia |
| Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF-1)and optic nerve gliomas, acoustic neuromas, AML and malignant nerve sheath tumors | |
| Tuberous Sclerosis and brain tumors | |
| Congenital immunodeficiency syndrome and lymphoma | |
| Bilateral Retinoblastoma and osteogenic sarcoma | |
| Li-Fraumeni syndrome and rhabdomyosarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma, breast cancer and brain tumors. | |
| Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and Wilms tumor | |
| Aniridia and Wilms tumor | |
Radiation Exposure |
Radiation therapy (RT) Children who receive low dose cranial RT for ALL have an increased risk of subsequent brain tumors and thyroid cancers. High dose RT in the treatment of cancer is associated with an increased risk of second malignancies many years later (usually sarcomas)
|
Radiation Exposure from atomic bomb was associated with an increased risk of leukemias and second malignancies
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Toxins |
Alkylating agents and Epipodophyllotoxins are associated with an increased risk of AML |
Other |
Cryptorchidism is associated with an increased risk of testicular tumors |
| Immunosuppressive therapy increases the risk of lympho-proliferative disease |
See also the different factors that be associated with pediatric brain tumors.
Causes of pediatric Brain Tumor
