What is the most common malignancy found in children?

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is indeed the most common malignancy found in children. It primarily affects the bone marrow and leads to an overproduction of immature white blood cells, which then interfere with normal blood cell production. This type of leukemia is most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 5 years and accounts for about 20% of all childhood cancers.

The early symptoms of ALL may include fatigue, frequent infections, easy bruising or bleeding, and other signs of bone marrow involvement, such as anemia. The understanding and advancements in the treatment of ALL have significantly improved outcomes, leading to high survival rates for children diagnosed with this condition.

In comparison to other malignancies listed, while retinoblastoma, cerebellar astrocytoma, and medulloblastoma are indeed significant childhood cancers, their incidence rates are much lower than that of ALL. Retinoblastoma primarily affects the retina, cerebellar astrocytoma often involves the brain, and medulloblastoma is a type of brain tumor common in young children, but none of these reach the same level of prevalence as ALL in pediatric populations.