[Childhood diseases, infectious diseases, and fever as potential risk factors for cancer?].
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the assertion that past childhood diseases, acute and febrile infections as well as allergies have a preventive effect on cancer. Former studies on this topic show controversial results and methodical deficits. PATIENTS AND METHODS The investigation was conducted as a retrospective case control study with 111 cancer patients and a group of 109 control persons from 3 hospitals in Berlin.


RESULTS
A significant change in the risk of developing cancer could only be observed for mumps (OR = 2.6; increased risk), whooping cough (OR = 2.7; increased risk), and colds in the recent past (OR = 0.7; decreased risk). Fever within the last 5 years showed no association with the development of malign tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
We could not confirm the results of former studies which assumed a preventive effect of childhood diseases and fever on the cancer risk. On the contrary, on the basis of this investigation one might postulate a 2- to 3-fold rise of the cancer risk by mumps or whooping cough. Because of divergent study results, deficits in the study designs, and a low evidence of the present findings no final statement on the association between childhood diseases or fever and cancer should be made.
Hoffmann
C
C
Abteilung für Naturheilkunde, Klinik für Naturheilkunde und Allgemeinmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin.
Rosenberger
A
A
Tröger
W
W
Bühring
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000276:immunology*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009107:Mumps / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000276:immunology