Rare Tumors of Childhood

The rarer tumors of childhood collectively comprise fewer than 20% of all pediatric cancers. Retinoblastoma is the most common malignant ocular tumor in childhood, affecting 200–300 children per year in the United States. Primary hepatic tumors in childhood and adolescence account for just >1% of malignancies in these age groups. Hepatoblastoma is the most common, representing more than 60% of hepatic tumors, and occurs almost exclusively during infancy and young childhood. Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare malignancy in childhood and adolescence(0.2% of childhood malignancies) with a median presentation of 3–4 years of age and female predominance (two to three times the number of affected boys). The incidence of malignant thyroid carcinoma in children is very low, comprising less than 2% of pediatric cancers. Post‐operatively, patients are treated with thyroid hormone to normalize and not suppress TSH levels.