Pediatric Solid Tumors in Children and Adolescents: An Overview

摘要

Although hematologic and central nervous system malignancies continue to be the most common cancers in adolescents, extracranial malignant solid tumors represent, as a group, 52% of cancers in patients in the 15- to 19-year-old age group (Fig 1). The tumor distribution of malignant pediatric solid tumors in adolescents is different compared with that of younger children, in whom embryonal or developmental cancers, such as retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, or hepatoblas-toma, are more prevalent. The most common malignant solid tumors in adolescents are extracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs), bone and soft tissue sarcomas, melanoma, and thyroid cancer. The diagnosis and treatment of adolescents with cancer also have particular challenges related to patient age, such as adherence to therapy, need for psychological support, concerns about body image, and fertility preservation. In this review, we offer a general description of the clinical presentation and treatment of the most common malignant pediatric solid tumors in adolescents.