Parental educational attainment as an indicator of socioeconomic status and risk of childhood cancers.
BACKGROUND
Little has been reported on socioeconomic (SES) patterns of risk for most forms of childhood cancer.


METHODS
Population-based case-control data from epidemiological studies of childhood cancer conducted in five US states were pooled and associations of maternal, paternal and household educational attainment with childhood cancers were analysed. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic regression, controlling for confounders.


RESULTS
Although there was no association with parental education for the majority of cancers evaluated, there was an indication of a positive association with lower education for Hodgkin's and Burkitt's lymphoma and Wilm's tumour, with the ORs ranging from 1.5 to >3.0 times that of more educated parents. A possible protective effect was seen for lower parental education and astrocytoma and hepatoblastoma, with ORs reduced by 30 to 40%.


CONCLUSIONS
These study results should be viewed as exploratory because of the broad nature of the SES assessment, but they give some indication that childhood cancer studies might benefit from a more thorough assessment of SES.
Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA. Susan.carozza@oregonstate.edu
S E
SE
Carozza
S E
SE
Puumala
E J
EJ
Chow
E E
EE
Fox
S
S
Horel
K J
KJ
Johnson
C C
CC
McLaughlin
P
P
Reynolds
J
J
Von Behren
B A
BA
Mueller
L G
LG
Spector
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D010290:Parents; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class