Cancer risk among children with very low birth weights.
OBJECTIVE
The risk of hepatoblastoma is strongly increased among children with very low birth weight (<1500 g). Because data on very low birth weight and other childhood cancers are sparse, we examined the risk of malignancy with very low birth weight in a large data set.


METHODS
We combined case-control data sets created by linking the cancer and birth registries of California, Minnesota, New York, Texas, and Washington states, which included 17672 children diagnosed as having cancer at 0 to 14 years of age and 57966 randomly selected control subjects. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of cancer with very low birth weight and moderately low birth weight (1500-1999 g and 2000-2499 g, respectively), compared with moderate/high birth weight (>or=2500 g), with adjustment for gender, gestational age, birth order, plurality, maternal age, maternal race, state, and year of birth.


RESULTS
Most childhood cancers were not associated with low birth weights. However, retinoblastomas and gliomas other than astrocytomas and ependymomas were possibly associated with very low birth weight. The risk of other gliomas was also increased among children weighing 1500 to 1999 g at birth.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggested no association between most cancers and very low birth weight, with the exception of the known association of hepatoblastoma and possibly moderately increased risks of other gliomas and retinoblastoma, which may warrant confirmation.
Spector
Logan G
LG
Division of Epidemiology/Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics and bMasonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. spector@umn.edu
Puumala
Susan E
SE
Carozza
Susan E
SE
Chow
Eric J
EJ
Fox
Erin E
EE
Horel
Scott
S
Johnson
Kimberly J
KJ
McLaughlin
Colleen C
CC
Reynolds
Peggy
P
Behren
Julie Von
JV
Mueller
Beth A
BA
D005865:Gestational Age; D005910:Glioma / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012042:Registries; D019572:Retinal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology