Across social media, alarming claims are spreading about a “pandemic of turbo cancers” in kids and young adults. Some posts even claim ten-year-olds with colon cancer or teenagers with pancreatic cancer. The truth is less theatrical but more urgent: pediatric cancer really is rising, though not exploding—and certainly not from a single new culprit. The official refrain we hear from agencies and journals—“more research is needed”—sounds cautious, but it often conceals deeper problems in how science, government, and industry handle risk.
Pediatric cancer, defined as cases from birth through age 19, remains rare. About 15,000 Americans under 20 receive diagnoses every year, roughly one in 260 children. Worldwide, the number is estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 cases annually. U.S. registry data show a steady climb from about 14 cases per 100,000 children in the 1970s to nearly 19 per 100,000 today—an average rise of 0.7 to 1 percent each year. This trend is confirmed globally, with the World Health Organization noting parallel increases in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
The cancers most common in kids remain the same: leukemias, brain and other central-nervous-system tumors, and lymphomas, with neuroblastoma, Wilms’ tumor, and sarcomas following. Among adolescents, thyroid cancer, melanoma, and certain soft-tissue tumors have increased modestly. The biology of these cancers often traces back to early development—sometimes even before birth.
Despite higher case counts, the outlook for survival has dramatically improved. Between 2001 and 2021 the pediatric cancer death rate in America dropped 24 percent, and childhood leukemia now carries a five-year survival rate of about 86 percent. Advances in targeted therapies, bone-marrow transplants, and precision medicine have rewritten what once were death sentences. The paradox is that we are curing more children than ever—but treating more as well. That raises a question every honest scientist asks: why?
In 2025 the federal Make Our Children Healthy Again (MAHA) commission tried to answer it. Hidden in its 400-page report is a chart titled “Cancer Rates per 100,000 Ages 0–19 (1975–2022)” showing a nearly 40 percent increase over that period. The MAHA team identified four broad drivers of chronic disease—including cancer—in America’s youth: ultra-processed diets, cumulative chemical exposures, sedentary technology-driven stress, and over-medicalization through excessive pharmaceutical use. Those categories echo decades of peer-reviewed literature linking metabolic stress, endocrine disruptors, and industrial pollutants to disease.
Still, the report stopped short of drawing causal lines. It didn’t separate which cancers are rising fastest, nor did it highlight the drop in death rates. Critics noted that MAHA relied on uneven data sources and glossed over funding conflicts in chemical research. Yet even with its flaws, it made one fact undeniable: the American childhood environment has grown more chemically complex, more processed, and more stressful—and cancer trends mirror that slow toxicity.
So what hides behind “more research is needed”? Sometimes, it’s scientific humility. But often, it’s a shield protecting power. Here’s what those words can conceal.
Conflicts of Interest. Studies examining PFAS “forever chemicals,” pesticides, or flame retardants often depend on corporate or government funding. Analyses show that industry-funded studies are significantly less likely to find harm than independent ones. When findings threaten profit, “inconclusive” becomes a convenient verdict.
Missing Baseline Data. When the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act passed in 1976, nearly 60,000 chemicals were grandfathered in without modern carcinogenicity testing. Regulators still lack historical exposure data. When agencies say “more research is needed,” they often mean “we never collected the right information in the first place.”
Cumulative Exposure and Synergy. Childhood cancer rarely stems from one massive exposure. It’s the accumulation of tiny daily hits: microplastics in food packaging, air pollutants, pesticides on lawns, parental occupational residues, diesel exhaust near schools. Each looks statistically weak; together they form what epidemiologists call a toxic burden that today’s models can barely measure.
Radiation and Technology. Constant wireless and electromagnetic exposure is new to human biology. Large reviews haven’t confirmed a direct link to cancer, but scientists admit that long-term data on children’s developing brains and tissues don’t yet exist. We are living inside the experiment, and the results are decades away.
Post-Pandemic Variables. COVID-19 and lockdowns disrupted healthcare access and delayed diagnoses. Some researchers are investigating whether viral inflammation, immune shifts, or chronic stress during those years could influence long-term disease patterns. No one yet knows—and few want to fund studies that might reignite political debates.
Behind every “more research is needed” statement are structural incentives to delay accountability. Funding is siloed, datasets are outdated, and legal liability looms large. A 1 percent yearly rise may sound modest, but compounded over generations it means tens of thousands of additional diagnoses, billions in medical cost, and families forced to face trauma that statistics can’t capture.
If MAHA is even partly right about the roots—diet, toxins, lifestyle, over-prescription—then our national inertia is unacceptable. These are modifiable factors. America’s children are not lab rats for convenience, chemistry, and profit.
Here’s what should happen now. Transparency: every study on environmental or medical safety must disclose its funding and potential conflicts in plain view. Modern Testing: re-evaluate the tens of thousands of legacy chemicals still approved for daily use. Cohort Tracking: establish lifelong child-health registries linking exposures to outcomes, so “unknown cause” stops being a default. Open Data: give independent scientists full access to cancer registries and raw exposure data. Personal Responsibility: families can take real steps today—filter drinking water, limit plastic use, choose whole foods over ultra-processed snacks, keep homes pesticide-free, and advocate for cleaner schools.
America leads the world in pediatric cancer survival, but it should not lead in incidence. The phrase “more research is needed” must no longer mean “go back to sleep.” It should mean “wake up, dig deeper, and protect the next generation.” Bureaucratic caution cannot become a substitute for moral courage.
We don’t just follow the headlines—we read between the lines to get to the bottom line of what’s really going on. That’s The Craig Bushon Show.
Disclaimer:
This commentary draws on verified data from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Health Organization, and the 2025 MAHA Report (“Make Our Children Healthy Again”). It is intended for educational and journalistic purposes and should not be considered medical advice.
