Cancer Risk in Parents of Children with Congenital Malformations
Author Information
Author(s): Zhu J L, Basso O, Hasle H, Winther J F, Olsen J H, Olsen J
Primary Institution: The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, University of Aarhus
Hypothesis
Do parents of children with congenital malformations have a higher cancer risk?
Conclusion
Parents of children with cleft lip/palate have a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer, particularly lymphomas and leukaemia.
Supporting Evidence
- Parents of children with cleft lip/palate had an odds ratio of 1.8 for all cancers.
- The odds ratio for lymphomas in parents of children with cleft lip/palate was 4.2.
- The odds ratio for leukaemia in parents of children with cleft lip/palate was 8.1.
- The prevalence of congenital malformations at birth in offspring of parents with subsequent cancer was 1.74%.
- No increased cancer risk was found in parents of children with congenital malformations in general.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether parents of kids with birth defects get cancer more often. It found that parents of kids with cleft lip or palate do have a higher chance of getting some types of cancer.
Methodology
A population-based case-control study using data from the Cancer Registry and the Central Population Registry in Denmark.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to exclusion of certain cancer types and reliance on registry data.
Limitations
The study did not include data on stillbirths, which may bias results, and it focused only on firstborn children.
Participant Demographics
Parents of children born in Denmark between 1977 and 1995, including both mothers and fathers.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI 1.0–3.2 for all cancer, 95% CI 1.3–13.5 for lymphomas, 95% CI 2.0–33.7 for leukaemia.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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