Association of early life factors and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in childhood: historical cohort study

• Published in: British journal of cancer 2002-02, Vol.86 (3), p.356-361
• Main Authors: Murray, L, McCarron, P, Bailie, K, Middleton, R, Davey Smith, G, Dempsey, S, McCarthy, A, Gavin, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abortion, Spontaneous; Adolescent; Adult; Age; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Birth Order; Birth Weight; Breast Feeding; Cancer Research; Child; Children & youth; Childrens health; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Drug Resistance; Epidemiology; Female; Gestational Age; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Households; Humans; Leukemia; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Maternal Age; Medical research; Medical sciences; Molecular Medicine; Mothers; Multiple births; Multivariate Analysis; Mutation; Northern Ireland - epidemiology; Nuclear Family; Occupations; Oncology; Paternal Age; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - epidemiology; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - etiology; Pregnancy; Risk; Sex Factors; Social Class; Social classes
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600012

In a historical cohort study of all singleton live births in Northern Ireland from 1971–86 ( n =434 933) associations between early life factors and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were investigated. Multivariable analyses showed a positive association between high paternal age (⩾35 years) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (relative risk=1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.96–2.31) but no association with maternal age. High birth weight (⩾3500 g) was positively associated with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (relative risk=1.66; 95% CI=1.18–2.33). Children of mothers with a previous miscarriage or increased gestation (⩾40 weeks) had reduced risks of ALL (respective relative risks=0.49; 95% CI=0.29–0.80, and 0.67; 95% CI=0.48–0.94). Children born into more crowded households (⩾1 person per room) had substantially lower risks than children born into less crowded homes with also some evidence of a lower risk for children born into homes with three adults (relative risks=0.56; 95% CI=0.35–0.91 and 0.58; 95% CI=0.21–1.61 respectively). These findings indicate that several early life factors, including living conditions in childhood and maternal miscarriage history, influence risk of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in childhood.