A case-control study of childhood brain tumors and fathers' hobbies: a Children's Oncology Group study.
OBJECTIVE
A comprehensive case-control study was conducted to evaluate parental risk factors for medulloblastoma (MB) and primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). This analysis was conducted to evaluate associations between fathers' hobbies and risk of their children developing MB/PNET. The hobbies chosen for study were those with similar exposures as occupations associated with childhood cancers.


METHODS
Cases were 318 subjects under six years of age at diagnosis between 1991 and 1997 and registered with the Children's Cancer Group. An equal number of controls were selected through random digit dialing and individually matched to cases.


RESULTS
In multivariate analyses, a significant association was seen for lawn care with pesticides [during pregnancy: odds ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 2.5; after birth: OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.8] and a weak association was seen for stripping paint [during pregnancy: OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.8, 2.6; after birth: OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.7, 2.6].


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that household exposures from hobbies, particularly pesticides, may increase risk of MB/PNET in children; previous research has been mostly limited to occupational exposures.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Andrea L
AL
Rosso
Mary E
ME
Hovinga
Lucy B
LB
Rorke-Adams
Logan G
LG
Spector
Greta R
GR
Bunin
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006686:Hobbies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000139:chemically induced*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects
D010575:Pesticides