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Published on: February 9, 2016
Magnetic field exposure and long-term survival among children with leukaemia
D E Foliart1, B H Pollock, G Mezei
1Public Health Institute, 555 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607, USA. dfoliart@hospice.org
Insights
High magnetic field (MF) exposure may increase risks for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Further research is needed to confirm the association between MF exposure and childhood ALL survival rates.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) survival has improved, but risk factors require further investigation.
- Magnetic field (MF) exposure is a potential environmental factor, necessitating examination in relation to ALL outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between personal 24-hour magnetic field (MF) measurements and survival in children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Main Methods:
- A cohort study included 386 children with ALL and 361 with B-precursor ALL from 51 centers (1996-2001).
- Personal 24-hour MF measurements were obtained, and survival analyses (event-free and overall) were performed.
- Adjustments were made for risk group and socioeconomic status.
Main Results:
- Children with MF exposure ≥0.3 μT showed an increased hazard ratio (HR) for event-free survival (1.9; 95% CI 0.8, 4.9) compared to <0.1 μT.
- Elevated multivariate HRs for overall survival were observed for MF exposure ≥0.3 μT (4.5; 95% CI 1.5-13.8), though based on limited data (four deaths).
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest a potential increased risk of adverse survival outcomes in children with ALL exposed to higher magnetic fields (≥0.3 μT).
- The small number of events, particularly deaths, limits definitive conclusions, highlighting the need for larger studies to validate these associations.
Abstract:
We examined the association between magnetic field (MF) exposure and survival among children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) treated at 51 Pediatric Oncology Group centres between 1996 and 2001. Of 1672 potentially eligible children under treatment, 482 (29%) participated and personal 24-h MF measurements were obtained from 412 participants. A total of 386 children with ALL and 361 with B-precursor ALL were included in the analysis of event-free survival (time from diagnosis to first treatment failure, relapse, secondary malignancy, or death) and overall survival. After adjustment for risk group and socioeconomic status, the event-free survival hazard ratio (HR) for children with measurements >/=0.3 muT was 1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8, 4.9), compared to <0.1 muT. For survival, elevated HRs were found for children exposed to >/=0.3 muT (multivariate HR=4.5, 95% CI 1.5-13.8) but based on only four deaths among 19 children. While risk was increased among children with exposures above 0.3 muT, the small numbers limited inferences for this finding.
