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Breastfeeding may slightly reduce the risk of childhood cancers, including leukemia. Further research is needed to confirm if this is a direct effect or due to study biases.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Pediatric Oncology
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood cancer is a significant health concern.
- The role of infant feeding practices, specifically breastfeeding, in childhood cancer etiology is under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between breastfeeding and childhood cancer risk.
- To analyze data from the UK Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS) and combine it with other published studies.
Main Methods:
- A national, population-based case-control study (UKCCS) involving 3500 children with cancer and 6964 controls.
- Statistical analysis of breastfeeding status and various childhood cancer diagnoses.
- Meta-analysis combining UKCCS data with other relevant studies.
Main Results:
- Weak, borderline significant evidence suggested a small reduction in odds ratios for leukemia (OR=0.89) and all cancers combined (OR=0.92) with breastfeeding in the UKCCS.
- Combined analysis indicated a small reduction in odds ratios for leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, non-hematological cancers, and all childhood cancers associated with breastfeeding.
- Breastfeeding was reported in 62% of cases and 64% of controls.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding may be associated with a small reduction in the risk of certain childhood cancers.
- The observed association's consistency across studies warrants further investigation into potential generalized effects or systematic biases.
Abstract:
The relationship between childhood cancer and having been breastfed in infancy was investigated in the UK Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS), a national, population-based case-control study. Analyses included 3500 children with cancer (cases) of whom 1637 were diagnosed with leukaemia, 114 with Hodgkin's disease, 228 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 1521 with other cancer and 6964 controls. 62% cases and 64% controls were reported to have ever been breastfed. There was weak evidence, of borderline statistical significance, that having been breastfed was associated with a small reduction in the odds ratios for leukaemia (odds ratio = 0.89, 95% Cl 0.80-1.00, P = 0.06), and for all cancers combined (odds ratio = 0.92, 95% Cl 0.84-1.00, P = 0.05). Combining data from the UKCCS with results from other published studies showed a small reduction in the odds ratios for leukaemia, Hodgkin's disease, non-haematological cancers, and all childhood cancers combined, associated with ever having been breastfed. It is unclear whether the apparent small reduction in the odds ratio for these various types of childhood cancer is a generalized effect of breastfeeding or whether it reflects some systematic bias in the majority of studies that have investigated the question.