In utero exposure to female hormones and germ cell tumors in children.
BACKGROUND
Maternal exposure to exogenous female hormones during pregnancy has been implicated as a risk factor for malignant germ cell tumors (GCTs) in the offspring in some epidemiologic studies of testicular and ovarian carcinoma in adults.


METHODS
From 1996 to 2002, 278 children younger than 15 years of age with malignant GCTs and 423 healthy controls, frequency-matched for geographic location, age, and sex were enrolled in a case-control study to investigate whether in utero exposure to female hormones is associated with the risk of malignant GCT in children. Cases were recruited from 84 institutions in the U.S. and controls were enrolled through random digit dialing. Information was obtained through telephone interview with the biological mothers of the subjects and through blinded review of the mothers' medical records.


RESULTS
Neither self-reported (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63, 2.12) nor medical chart based (OR = 1.14; 95% CI, 0.75, 1.73) maternal exposure to exogenous female hormones was related to malignant GCT risk. Pregnancy-related conditions that may have altered serum levels of circulating female hormones were also unrelated to the risk of GCT in the offspring.


CONCLUSIONS
This study failed to provide strong evidence to support the hypothesis that maternal exposure to exogenous female hormones during pregnancy increases the risk of GCT in the offspring.
Shankar
Sadhna
S
Department of Pediatrics and Vanderbilt University Center for Health Services Research, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
Davies
Stella
S
Giller
Roger
R
Krailo
Mark
M
Davis
Mary
M
Gardner
Kathleen
K
Cai
Hui
H
Robison
Leslie
L
Shu
Xiao-Ou
XO
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000209:etiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011372:Progestins / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors
D004967:Estrogens; D011372:Progestins