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Medication use during pregnancy and the risk of childhood cancer in the offspring

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Abstract

The young age at onset of many cancers in childhood has led to investigations on maternal exposures during pregnancy. Data from a population-based case-control study in Germany (1992–1997) that included 1,867 cases and 2,057 controls was used to investigate this question. Maternal use of vitamin, folate or iron supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and tumors and, less clearly, with leukemia, but not with CNS tumors. An increased risk of neuroblastoma was associated most markedly with diuretics and other antihypertensives, but also with vitamin, folate or iron supplementation. No associations were seen with pain relievers, antinauseants or cold medications, nor with delivery by Caesarian section. The strengths of this study are its population base, the large number of cases and the inclusion of different case groups to identify disease specificity of associations. The limitation of this study is an exposure assessment relying on maternal self-reports. In conclusion, these data indicate a potential influence of some maternal medication during pregnancy on the risk of childhood cancer in the offspring; however, no clear picture is seen.

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Abbreviations

ALL:

acute lymphoblastic leukemia

AML:

acute myeloblastic leukemia

CNS:

central nervous system

NHL:

non-Hodgkin lymphoma

OR:

odds ratio

CI:

confidence interval

SES:

socioeconomic status

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Acknowledgements

We would especially like to thank Dr. Ina Reiß for her skillful work on the data set and for the preparation of preliminary analyses. We would like to thank Monika Decher-Neff and Ilona Kerenyi for their assistance in coding the medications. We would also like to thank Drs. Rolf Meinert, Uwe Kaletsch and Jörg Michaelis for their work during the conducting of the original study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, 55101, Mainz, Germany

    Joachim Schüz, Thomas Weihkopf & Peter Kaatsch

  2. Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Strandboulevarden 49, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Joachim Schüz

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  1. Joachim Schüz
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  2. Thomas Weihkopf
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  3. Peter Kaatsch
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Correspondence to Peter Kaatsch.

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Sponsored by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nuclear Safety, and Nature Protection.

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Schüz, J., Weihkopf, T. & Kaatsch, P. Medication use during pregnancy and the risk of childhood cancer in the offspring. Eur J Pediatr 166, 433–441 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-006-0401-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-006-0401-z

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