Is Month of Birth a Risk Factor for Colorectal Cancer?

Abstract

Introduction. The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis and season of birth have been linked to a wide variety of later life conditions including cancer. Whether any relationship between month and season of birth and colorectal cancer exists is unknown. Methods. A case-control study was performed with month of birth extracted from a dedicated colorectal cancer database. Age and gender matched patients were used as a control group. Generalised linear models were fitted with Poisson and negative binomial responses and logarithmic links. A forward stepwise approach was followed adding seasonal components with 6- and 12-month periods. Results. 1019 colorectal cancer patients and 1277 randomly selected age and gender matched controls were included. For both men and women there is an excess of colorectal cancer in those born in autumn and a corresponding reduction of risk among those born in spring (p = 0.026). For the identified September peak, the excess risk for colorectal cancer was 14.8% (95% CI 5.6–32.3%) larger than the spring trough. Conclusion. There is a seasonal effect in the monthly birth rates of people who are operated for colorectal cancer with a disproportionate excess of cancer in those born in September. Further large studies are required to validate these findings.

Season-of-birth phenomenon in health and longevity: epidemiologic evidence and mechanistic considerations

“…71 In a meta-analysis by Georgakis et al, 72 the risk for occurrence of central nervous system tumors or tumor subtypes was significantly associated with birth season in 8 of the 10 included studies in children and in 4 of the 8 studies in adults, with a clustering of births mainly in autumn and winter months. Seasonality of birth was also observed for other cancer types such as skin cancer, 73 colorectal cancer, 74 lung cancer, 75 and breast cancer. 76 Most of these studies, however, were conducted with small size samples, so, these findings are rather inconclusive and show only correlation but no causal relationships.…”

The effect of ultraviolet radiation on the incidence and severity of major mental illness using birth month, birth year, and sunspot data

“…[ 98 ] Oct–Dec Jan–Mar Pediatric patients Autism Lee, L. [ 99 ] Mar, May, Sep Jun, Aug, Nov Lee, B. K. [ 100 ] Sep–Nov Dec–Feb Shalev, H. [ 101 ] Aug Nov Torrey, E. F. [ 27 ] Mar Jun ADHD Sucksdorff, M. [ 102 ] Nov–Mar Low vitamin D in gestation Diabetes mellitus type 1 Kahn, H. [ 103 ] Apr–Jul Jul–Oct Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Grover, V. [ 104 ] Oct is protective Jan African American cohort <18 yrs of age Thyroiditis Thvilum, M. [ 105 ] Jun Sep Autoimmune hypothyroidism Kyrgios, I. [ 106 ] Mar Jun Lowest in Nov Colorectal cancer Francis, N. [ 107 ] Sep Dec Narcolepsy Dauvilliers, Y. [ 108 ] Mar Jun Trough in Sep <...>…”

Does month of birth influence colorectal cancer prognosis?

“…Notably, a seasonal pattern was not observed, probably due to the setting of the Mediterranean coastal climate in Spain, where seasons overlap without clear boundaries. Season-of-birth patterns have been identi ed for many chronic health outcomes and for CRC incidence [11,12]. The relationship between the month of birth and longevity has also been researched.…”

“…To date, a study by Francis et al is the only one to suggest an association between month of birth and risk of developing CRC [11]. However, the relationship between month of birth and CRC prognosis has not yet been studied.…”