Birth weight, sex and childhood cancer: a report from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Birth weight, sex and childhood cancer

T2 - a report from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study

AU - Smith, Alexandra

AU - Lightfoot, Tracy

AU - Simpson, Jill

AU - Roman, Eve

AU - UKCCS Investigators

PY - 2009/11

Y1 - 2009/11

N2 - Birth weight has been linked to the risk of developing childhood cancer, in particular childhood leukaemia. However, despite many childhood cancers having a male predominance and boys generally weighing more than girls at birth few studies have reported sex-specific associations. The relationship between birth weight and childhood cancer risk was examined using information from a national case-control study. Children (0-14 years) newly diagnosed with cancer in GB were ascertained between 1991 and 1996 (n = 3651) and for comparison, controls matched on sex, month and year of birth were identified from primary care population registers (n = 6337). Birth weights were obtained from the Office of National Statistics for all targeted subjects born in England and Wales. Overall, cases were, on average, 30 g heavier at birth than controls (p = 0.003) with differences seen by cancer type; those diagnosed with hepatic tumours weighing around 500 g less than controls at birth (p < 0.0001) and those with leukaemia being, on average, 50 g heavier than those without (p, = 0.001). An interaction between birth weight and sex was found for acute leukaemia (chi(2) = 11.2, p = 0.04) and when data were stratified by sex, an association between high birth weight and risk of ALL was seen with girls (>4000 g, OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.38-2.50, chi(2) for trend 20.2, p < 0.0001). Our results support the hypothesis that birth weight is an important determinant for childhood cancer. In addition, the data are consistent with the notion that childhood leukaemia has a prenatal origin. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

AB - Birth weight has been linked to the risk of developing childhood cancer, in particular childhood leukaemia. However, despite many childhood cancers having a male predominance and boys generally weighing more than girls at birth few studies have reported sex-specific associations. The relationship between birth weight and childhood cancer risk was examined using information from a national case-control study. Children (0-14 years) newly diagnosed with cancer in GB were ascertained between 1991 and 1996 (n = 3651) and for comparison, controls matched on sex, month and year of birth were identified from primary care population registers (n = 6337). Birth weights were obtained from the Office of National Statistics for all targeted subjects born in England and Wales. Overall, cases were, on average, 30 g heavier at birth than controls (p = 0.003) with differences seen by cancer type; those diagnosed with hepatic tumours weighing around 500 g less than controls at birth (p < 0.0001) and those with leukaemia being, on average, 50 g heavier than those without (p, = 0.001). An interaction between birth weight and sex was found for acute leukaemia (chi(2) = 11.2, p = 0.04) and when data were stratified by sex, an association between high birth weight and risk of ALL was seen with girls (>4000 g, OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.38-2.50, chi(2) for trend 20.2, p < 0.0001). Our results support the hypothesis that birth weight is an important determinant for childhood cancer. In addition, the data are consistent with the notion that childhood leukaemia has a prenatal origin. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KW - Epidemiology

KW - Childhood cancer

KW - Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

KW - Birth weight

KW - LEUKEMIA

KW - HEPATOBLASTOMA

KW - RISK

KW - CHILDREN

KW - GROWTH

KW - UKCCS

KW - METAANALYSIS

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70649091037&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.canep.2009.10.012

DO - 10.1016/j.canep.2009.10.012

M3 - Article

SN - 1055-9965

VL - 33

SP - 363

EP - 367

JO - Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention

JF - Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention

IS - 5

ER -