Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Fetal Mouse Cardiovascular Imaging Using a High-frequency Ultrasound 30/45MHZ System
Published on: May 5, 2018
Cancer risks in children with congenital malformations in the nervous and circulatory system-A population based
Yuelian Sun1, Kim Overvad1, Jørn Olsen2
1Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.
Insights
Children with nervous system congenital malformations (CMs) face a significantly higher cancer risk, particularly in early life. Circulatory system CMs also increase cancer risk, though to a lesser extent.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Developmental Biology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Congenital malformations (CMs) are birth defects that can affect various organ systems.
- Understanding the long-term health risks associated with CMs is crucial for early intervention and management.
- Previous research has suggested potential links between certain birth defects and subsequent cancer development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the age- and organ-specific cancer risk in children diagnosed with congenital malformations of the nervous system or circulatory system.
- To quantify the association between nervous and circulatory system CMs and the risk of developing various cancers.
- To investigate if the timing of CM diagnosis influences cancer risk.
Main Methods:
- A nationwide cohort study identified 1,709,456 live-born singletons in Denmark (1977-2007).
- Data on congenital malformations (CMs) and cancer occurrences were obtained from national health registers.
- Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) for cancer risk.
Main Results:
- Children with nervous system CMs had a 5.97-fold increased overall cancer risk, with particularly high risks for central nervous system (HR=18.84) and skin cancers (HR=4.91).
- Children with circulatory system CMs had a 2.64-fold increased overall cancer risk, including higher risks for lymphatic/hematopoietic (HR=3.22) and CNS cancers (HR=2.40).
- Cancer risk associations were generally stronger in early childhood and varied based on specific CM subtypes.
Conclusions:
- Congenital malformations of the nervous system are associated with a substantially elevated cancer risk in children, especially during infancy.
- Congenital malformations of the circulatory system are linked to a moderately increased cancer risk in childhood.
- These findings highlight the importance of long-term cancer surveillance for children with specific congenital malformations.
Aim:
We estimated the age and organ-specific cancer risk for children with a congenital malformation (CM) in the nervous or in the circulatory system.
Methods:
We identified 1,709,456 live born singletons in Denmark between 1 January 1977 and 31 December 2007 and excluded children with chromosomal birth defects. Information on CMs was obtained from the Danish National Hospital Register. Information on cancer occurrence was obtained from the Danish Cancer Registry. We applied Cox proportional hazards regression model to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for cancer. Children entered into the CM cohort on the day of birth regardless of when the CM was diagnosed or on the day of CM diagnosis in an alternative analysis.
Results:
Overall, 4484 (0.26%) and 24,643 (1.44%) children were diagnosed with a CM in the nervous and in the circulatory system, respectively. Compared with children without any CM, children with a CM in the nervous system had a 5.97 fold (95%CI [confidence interval]: 4.66-7.64) higher risk of cancer, including cancer in the central nervous system (HR=18.84, 95%CI: 12.67-28.01), in the mesothelial and soft tissue (HR=15.64, 95%CI: 7.99-30.60), in the skin (HR=4.91, 95%CI: 2.19-11.0). The associations were stronger early in life. Children with a CM in the circulatory system had a 2.64 fold (95%CI: 2.21-3.16) higher risk of cancer, including cancer in the lymphatic and haematopoietic tissues (HR=3.22, 95%CI: 2.43-4.27) and cancer in the CNS (HR=2.40, 95%CI: 1.43-4.02). Some of these associations were weaker in the alternative analysis. Children with subtypes of CM in the two systems showed a higher cancer risk.
Conclusions:
Children who were diagnosed with a CM in the nervous system had a substantially higher cancer risk especially early in life. Children diagnosed with a CM in the circulatory system had a moderately higher cancer risk.
