Incidence and outcomes of cancer in 16- to 17-year-old adolescents.

In Finland, the incidence of cancer in adolescents aged 15-19 years is 23 per 100,000. The most common types include typical childhood cancers, such as leukaemia, lymphomas and brain tumours, and adult-type cancers, for instance melanomas and thyroid cancer. Survival rates for children and adolescents with cancer have improved significantly, but patients aged 15-39 years have poorer rates than children for several cancers that affect both groups.