Congenital abnormalities and childhood cancer

Abstract

BACKGROUNDThe examination of specific characteristics of neoplasms diagnosed in children have suggested that a significant proportion can be attributed to a genetic mutation or genetic predisposition. Although the study of a genetic predisposition to cancer in children remains in the early stages, congenital abnormalities could provide essential information for mapping predisposing lesions in children with cancer.METHODSIn the current study, 2 large cohorts of children with and without congenital abnormalities were followed for the occurrence of cancer and death up to 18 years. Through this study, the risk of developing cancer by age at diagnosis, effects of birth characteristics on cancer risk, and possible associations between specific anomalies and tumor types were examined.RESULTSBased on the follow‐up of 90,400 children, the risk of developing cancer during the first year of life was found to be nearly 6 times higher in children with anomalies (rate ratio [RR] of 5.8; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 3.7–9.1). Children with birth defects were found to be at a higher risk for developing leukemia (RR of 2.7; 95% CI, 2.1–3.6), tumors of the central nervous system (RR of 2.5; 95% CI, 1.8–3.4), sympathetic nervous system tumors (RR of 2.2; 95% CI, 1.4–3.4), and soft tissue sarcomas (RR of 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0–3.5). Among children with birth defects, children with Down syndrome, nervous system anomalies, and anomalies of the urinary system had the highest incidence rates of cancer. In the presence of birth defects, other factors such as birth weight, gestational age, age of the mother, and birth order were not found to be associated significantly with the risk of cancer.CONCLUSIONSThe significant relative risks found in the current study provided evidence of links between the presence of abnormalities and the development of cancer. Some “cancer‐prone” abnormalities were identified in the current study. Such anomalies may be markers of other exposures or processes that increase the risk of developing cancer. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.

Birth characteristics and childhood malignant central nervous sytem tumors: The ESCALE study (French Society for Childhood Cancer)

“…manuscript-2536-1-cdpedit.doc -originally named "MallolMesnard_Escale2008.doc" Many studies have evidenced an association between congenital malformations and CNS tumours [4,5,[44][45][46], sometimes with a stronger association when the malformation had a CNS site [44,46]. In the present study, none of the controls and only one case presented with a brain malformation, and that malformation was minor.…”

“…Birth characteristics, such as gestational age, birth weight, parent's age at birth, birth order and congenital malformations, have also been studied. Only congenital malformations seem to be frequently associated with CNS tumors [4,5]. This paper reports the results for maternal reproductive history, birth characteristics, and the risk of childhood malignant CNS tumors, based on data from the ESCALE study.…”

Paediatric germ cell tumours and congenital abnormalities: a Children's Oncology Group study

“…Associations between skeletal and congenital heart defects and GCTs have been reported previously, but have not specified the tumour site (Narod et al, 1997;Nishi et al, 2000;Agha et al, 2005).…”

“…Other controlled studies have reported positive associations between paediatric GCTs and CAs, including any birth defect (Mann et al, 1993;Altmann et al, 1998;Bjorge et al, 2008), heart defects (Nishi et al, 2000), cryptorchidism (Nishi et al, 2000), and musculoskeletal/spinal abnormalities (Narod et al, 1997;Agha et al, 2005).…”

Birth Anomalies and Obstetric History as Risks for Childhood Tumors of the Central Nervous System

“…5 Indeed, children born with birth defects, often associated with genetic abnormalities, are at a two-to threefold increased risk of pediatric cancer. [6][7][8] As with all epidemiologic studies for rare disorders, a large population base is essential to overcome sample size limitations. Therefore, we used the California Cancer Registry (CCR), which records all cases of cancer diagnosed in California and reported by state law, to study the risks of congenital anomalies and prior fetal losses for a childhood CNS tumor.…”