Family Cancer Risks in Children with Brain Tumours
Author Information
Author(s): Hemminki K, Li X, Vaittinen P, Dong C
Primary Institution: Department of Biosciences at Novum, Karolinska Institute
Hypothesis
The study investigates the risk of childhood brain tumours in relation to parental cancers and sibling cancers.
Conclusion
The study found distinct familial patterns of risk for childhood brain tumours, with significant associations between certain parental cancers and specific types of brain tumours in children.
Supporting Evidence
- 1.3% of brain tumour patients had a parent with nervous system cancer.
- SIRs were 2.4 and 1.88 for diagnostic ages < 5 and < 15 years, respectively.
- The SIR was 10.26 for brain astrocytoma given a parent with meningioma.
- Parental colon cancer was associated with offspring ependymoma (SIR 3.70).
- Parental salivary gland cancers were associated with offspring medulloblastoma (SIR 13.33, but two cases only).
- SIR for sibling nervous system cancer from childhood brain tumour probands was 3.55 up to age 61.
Takeaway
If a child has a brain tumour, their parents might have a higher chance of having certain types of cancer too.
Methodology
The study used the Swedish Family-Cancer Database to analyze childhood brain tumours and calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for brain tumours in offspring.
Participant Demographics
Children diagnosed with brain tumours in Sweden from 1958 to 1996.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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