Related Experiment Videos
Parental occupation and Ewing's sarcoma: pooled and meta-analysis
Patricia C Valery1, Gail Williams, Adrian C Sleigh
1Population and Clinical Sciences Division, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queensland, Australia.
International Journal of Cancer
|February 11, 2005
Summary
Parental farming occupation is associated with an increased risk of Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT). This pooled analysis suggests a significant link between farming and ESFT development in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Cancer Etiology
Background:
- Etiologic data for Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) are scarce, with limited case-control studies.
- Previous studies noted inconsistent associations between parental occupation and ESFT risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a pooled analysis of case-control studies to evaluate associations between parental occupation and ESFT.
- To assess the specific role of farming as a parental occupation in ESFT etiology.
Main Methods:
- Pooled analysis of 3 case-control studies, including 199 ESFT cases and 1,451 controls.
- Meta-analysis of studies investigating parental farm occupation and ESFT risk.
- Analysis of periconception, gestation, and postnatal exposure periods.
Main Results:
- Increased ESFT risk observed for children of farming parents (OR=2.3 for fathers, OR=3.9 for mothers).
- A 3.5-fold increased risk was found when both parents farmed; a 2-fold risk when at least one parent farmed.
- A dose-response relationship was noted with increased postnatal parental exposure to farms.
Conclusions:
- Evidence supports an association between ESFT and parental occupation in farming.
- Parental farming occupation is a potential risk factor for the development of ESFT in offspring.