[Genetic predisposition to childhood cancer]

Abstract

Tumor predisposition in children is rare, accounting for approximately 10% of all cancers in childhood. Tumor predisposition involves very rare tumors such as pleuropulmonary blastoma, adrenocortical carcinoma, hepatoblastoma, rhabdoid tumors, optic pathway glioma, as well as rare tumors such as retinoblastoma, medulloblastoma, nephroblastoma, or more frequent tumors such as sarcomas, neuroblastoma, and leukemias. The identification of these predispositions is important for improved management for both the child and relatives. Prenatal and preimplantation genetic diagnosis are options that could be considered for young parents in a perspective of future pregnancies. This manuscript describes the main tumor predispositions in childhood. From each histological subtype, the different diagnosis directions are discussed in view of these main tumor predispositions.