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Conditions in utero and cancer risk

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Abstract

There is increasing recognition that conditions in utero are of importance for later cancer risk in several organs, particularly the testis and breast. A review of the most recent literature on this topic is therefore warranted. The PubMed database was searched for relevant recent literature on intrauterine conditions associated with cancer risk later in life, with particular emphasis on the testis, breast, but also studies pertaining to other organs were included. Epidemiological and experimental data support the hypothesis that factors acting in utero play a role in the development of cancer in the testis and breast. For other organs, such as the prostate, urinary system and colorectum, the results are inconclusive. While conditions during foetal life are associated with later cancer risk in the testis and breast, the biological mechanisms are for the most part elusive. They are, however, likely to involve hormonal disturbances, number of cells at risk, and genetic or epigenetic events.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-Based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway

    Tom Grotmol, Elisabete Weiderpass & Steinar Tretli

  2. Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Elisabete Weiderpass

  3. Department of Community Medicine and General Practice, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Steinar Tretli

  4. Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-Based Cancer Research, Montebello, N-0310, Oslo, Norway

    Tom Grotmol

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  1. Tom Grotmol
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Grotmol, T., Weiderpass, E. & Tretli, S. Conditions in utero and cancer risk. Eur J Epidemiol 21, 561–570 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9036-7

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