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Cancer Risk by Attained Age among Children with Birth Defects in Arkansas

Jenil Patel1, Jeremy M Schraw2, Philip J Lupo2

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR USA; Arkansas Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Fay W. Boozman College of PublicHealth, University of Arkansas for Medical Science, Little Rock, AR USA.

Cancer Epidemiology
|August 23, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Children with birth defects, particularly cardiovascular and genitourinary, face the highest risk of pediatric cancer in their first year of life. This highlights the need for targeted surveillance strategies for early detection.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Birth Defect Research
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Limited research exists on the association between birth defects and pediatric cancer risk across different ages.
  • Understanding these associations is crucial for early detection and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess pediatric cancer risk in children with and without birth defects, stratified by age at diagnosis.
  • To investigate specific birth defect types and their correlation with cancer risk.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study linked data from Arkansas birth records, cancer registries, and birth defect monitoring systems (1996-2011).
  • Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze cancer risk by attained age groups (<1, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14 years).
  • Associations were examined between various birth defect categories (any, chromosomal, non-chromosomal) and cancer subtypes.

Main Results:

  • The study included 629,086 children, with 3.7% having birth defects and 0.2% diagnosed with cancer.
  • Children with non-chromosomal birth defects (cardiovascular, genitourinary) had the highest cancer risk in the first year of life (HR 18.5).
  • Children with chromosomal birth defects showed increased cancer risk between 1-4 years old (HR 20.0).

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric cancer risk is elevated in children with birth defects, especially those under five years old.
  • Findings support the need for enhanced surveillance strategies for infants and young children with birth defects.
  • Early identification and monitoring can improve outcomes for children with congenital anomalies and cancer.
Abstract

Keywords:
age of attainmentanomaliesbirth defectscancerchildrencongenital abnormalitiesinfantsneoplasmspediatric cancersproportional hazards models

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