General information on paediatric oncology
This page provides general information on paediatric oncology and haematology in German-speaking countries as well as on the German professional society for childhood and adolescent cancers and blood diseases (GPOH).
Author: Gesche Tallen, MD, PhD, Editor: Ingrid Grüneberg, Reviewer: Prof. Dr. med. U. Creutzig, Last modification: 2025/11/19 https://kinderkrebsinfo.de/doi/e79946
Frequencies of different cancer diseases diagnosed in Germany
Cancer in children and adolescents accounts for only 1% of all cancer cases in Germany. However, cancer is the most fatal childhood diseases and (after accidents) the second most common cause of death in European children after the first year of life. In Germany, there are approximately 2,290 new cases in children and adolescents under the age of 18 [RON2025].
Diversity and proportional composition of childhood cancers in Germany.
Abbreviations: CNS - central nervous system, LCH - Langerhans cell histiocytosis;
Source: German Childhood Cancer Registry (GCCR).
The most common paediatric malignancies in Western societies are leukaemias (30%), tumours of the central nervous system (24%) and lymphomas (about 16%). When suspecting cancer in a young patient, when taking care of the various problems of a childhood cancer survivor as a family physician or paediatrician, when being responsible as a caregiver during the intensive treatment on the oncology ward, or when, as a scientist, dealing with the current scientific and political challenges that paediatric oncology is facing in Europe today: Childhood cancer affects us all!
Development of survival rates among children and adolescents with cancer in Germany
A fatal disease has become curable.
Until the end of the 1960s, the statement ‘Your child has cancer’ was like to a death sentence, as the average survival rate at that time was less than 20%. This unfavourable prognosis has improved significantly over the last 50 years: in industrialised nations, the survival rate for children and young people with cancer is now over 80%.
Continuous increase in survival rates in Germany. This evaluation covers the period from 1940 to 2014.
Increase in survival rates in Germany. 2-year survival rates are shown up to 1980; from 1980 onwards, 5-year survival rates are shown. Source: German Childhood Cancer Registry GCCR, Competence Network Paediatric Oncology and Haematology (KPOH).
