Paternal occupation and neuroblastoma: a case-control study based on cancer registry data for Great Britain 1962-1999

Neuroblastoma is the most common malignancy of infancy but little is known about the aetiological factors associated with the development of this tumour. A number of epidemiological studies have previously examined the risk associated with paternal occupational exposures but most have involved small numbers of cases. Here we present results from a large, population-based, case-control study of subjects diagnosed over a period of more than 30 years and recorded in the national registry of childhood tumours in Great Britain.

A case-control study of paternal occupational data for 2920 cases of neuroblastoma, born and diagnosed in Great Britain between 1962 and 1999 and recorded in the National Registry of Childhood Tumours, and 2920 controls from the general population matched on sex, date of birth and birth registration district. Paternal occupations at birth, of the case or control child, were grouped by inferred exposure using an occupational exposure classification scheme. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), for each of the 32 paternal occupational exposure groups.

Only paternal occupational exposure to leather was statistically significantly associated with neuroblastoma, OR=5.00 (95% CI 1.07-46.93). However, this association became non-significant on correction for multiple testing.

Our findings do not support the hypothesis that paternal occupational exposure is an important aetiological factor for neuroblastoma.