IARC to publish first-ever WHO Classification of Tumours volume on childhood cancers

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which produces and publishes the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumours series (also known as the WHO Blue Books), will soon publish a volume specifically focused on the classification of paediatric cancers – the first of its kind in the history of the series. The main features of each chapter of the inaugural WHO Classification of Paediatric Tumours volume are summarized in a new review article published in the journal Cancer Discovery.

Although paediatric tumours are uncommon, they are a leading cause of death due to disease in children. The types, molecular characteristics, and pathogenesis of tumours occurring in children are unique, and paediatric neoplasms lack the genetic complexity seen in adult disease.

Prior to this upcoming volume, the WHO Classification of Tumours has dealt with tumour classification from a more strictly organ- or system-specific perspective, with each volume dedicated to a particular anatomical site (digestive system, breast, soft tissue and bone, etc.) and compiled by experts in the respective area. But the specific diagnostic and clinical challenges of childhood tumours require a different approach, so the first WHO Classification of Paediatric Tumours has been developed with a more integrated, cross-sectional perspective by experts in childhood cancer. The book will be published as Volume 7 of the fifth edition of the WHO Blue Books.

Pfister SM, Reyes-Múgica M, Chan JKC, Hasle H, Lazar AJ, Rossi S, et al.
A summary of the inaugural WHO Classification of Pediatric Tumors: transitioning from the optical into the molecular era
Cancer Discov, Published online 17 December 2021;
https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1094

Read the article

Visit the WHO Classification of Tumours website