title: Association between adverse childhood experiences and diagnosis of cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to multiple adverse health outcomes. This study examined the association between ACEs and cancer diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey were used. The BRFSS is the largest ongoing telephone health survey, conducted in all US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and provides data on a variety of health issues among the non-institutionalized adult population. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to derive components for ACEs. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to provide adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between ACE components and overall, childhood and adulthood cancer, adjusting for confounders such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, educational status, marital status, and insurance status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 62% of respondents reported being exposed to ACEs and about one in ten respondents reported ever having been diagnosed with cancer. Component 1, which had the sexual abuse variables with the highest weights, was significantly associated with adulthood cancer (adjusted OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.03-1.43).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between ACEs and adulthood cancer may be attributable to disease progression through association of ACEs with risk factors for other chronic diseases. More research should focus on the impact of sexual abuse ACEs and adverse health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America. brownmj7@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Monique J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Leroy R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Thacker
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002649:Child Abuse; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult