Parental Age and Risk of Childhood Cancer

Abstract

Background Few risk factors for childhood cancer are well-established. We investigated whether advancing parental age increases childhood cancer risk. Methods We assessed the relationship between parental age and childhood cancer in a case-control study using pooled population-based data. Our pooling was based on linked cancer and birth registry records from New York, Washington, Minnesota, Texas, and California. Subjects included 17,672 cancer cases diagnosed at ages 0–14 years during 1980–2004 and 57,966 controls born during 1970–2004. Persons with Down syndrome were excluded. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by logistic regression for the association between parental age and childhood cancer after adjustment for sex, birth weight, gestational age, birth order, plurality, maternal race, birth year, and state. Results Positive linear trends per 5-year maternal age increase were –observed for childhood cancers overall (odds ratio = 1.08 [95% confidence interval = 1.06–1.10]) and 7 of the 10 most frequent diagnostic groups: leukemia (1.08 [1.05–1.11]), lymphoma (1.06 [1.01–1.12]), central nervous system tumors (1.07 [1.03–1.10]), neuroblastoma (1.09 [1.04–1.15]), Wilms’ tumor (1.16 [1.09–1.22]), bone tumors (1.10 [ 1.00–1.20]), and soft tissue sarcomas (1.10 [1.04–1.17]). No maternal age effect was noted for retinoblastoma, germ cell tumors, or hepatoblastoma. Paternal age was not independently associated with most childhood cancers after adjustment for maternal age. Conclusions Our results suggest that older maternal age increases risk for most common childhood cancers. Investigation into possible mechanisms for this association is warranted.

Maternal Alcohol Consumption during Pregnancy and Risk of Childhood Leukemia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Nevertheless, the size of the association reported in the tobacco-adjusted studies was similar to the estimates reported in the other studies. Other potentially uncontrolled confounding factors are maternal household use of pesticides, as suggested by Rudant et al (41), folate intake during pregnancy, birth weight, allergy after birth (55,56), and maternal age (57). Study results were heterogeneous.…”

Maternal age, birth order and other early-life factors: a family-level approach to exploring exceptional survival

“…Oocytes and ovaries of older mothers are more likely to contain damaged mitochondrial DNA which could be transmitted to the next generation, reducing the biological fitness, health and longevity of the offspring (Tarin et al 1998). Other correlates of advanced maternal age include a decline in the efficiency of the uterus, an increase risk of placental dysfunction or increased variations in hormonal levels during pregnancy (Johnson et al 2009;Nelson et al 2012). Contrastingly, some studies found that a very young maternal age is also associated with birth defects and health problems that are thought to originate in the physiological immaturity and a poorer nutritional status of young mothers (Reefhuis and Honein 2004;Loane et al 2009;Fraser et al 1995).…”

Risk factors of childhood leukemia

“…13 The independent associations of maternal and paternal age on childhood cancer risk are difficult to separate, but most studies found an association to maternal age, in particular. 11,12,23 We found a statistically significant association between the time of delivery (OR 4.98; 95%CI 1.28 to 19.45), but not with the paternal age (OR 1.55; 95%CI 0.72 to 3.29).…”

“…9 Parental age at birth of more than 35 years has also been reported to be associated with increased risk of childhood leukemia related to germ line mutation, but with inconsistent results. [10][11][12] Several factors that have been associated with childhood leukemia include exposure to radiation and pesticides, as well as breastfeeding, parental smoking, first born, and infections. 2 However, in Indonesia such studies have not been done.…”