Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Perinatal risk factors for neuroblastoma

Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer among infants, suggesting an etiologic role for prenatal factors. In this case-cohort study, neuroblastoma cases (n = 529) diagnosed between 1985 and 2001 were identified from the New York State Cancer Registry and were matched to the electronic birth records for 1983–2001 from New York State and New York City. Controls (n = 12,010) were selected from the same birth cohorts. Analysis was stratified by age at diagnosis, with one to six months (younger infants), seven to 18 months (older infants), and older than 18 months (older children) analyzed separately. Perinatal exposure data was obtained from the birth certificates. No risk factors were identified to be consistently associated with risk across all three age groups. Generally, more risk factors were identified as associated with neuroblastoma among younger infants relative to older ages, including high birth weight, heavier maternal gestational weight gain, maternal hypertension, older maternal age, ultrasound, and respiratory distress. Among older infants, low birth weight was associated with increased risk while heavier maternal gestational weight gain was protective. In the oldest age group, first born status, primary cesarean delivery, prolonged labor and premature rupture of the membranes were associated with increased risk.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Maris JM, Denny CT (2002) Focus on embryonal malignancies. Cancer Cell 2:447–450. doi:10.1016/S1535-6108(02)00206-4

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Nakagawara A, Zaizen Y, Ikeda K et al (1991) Different genomic and metabolic patterns between mass screening-positive and mass screening-negative later-presenting neuroblastomas. Cancer 68:2037–2044. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(19911101)68:9<2037::AID-CNCR2820680932>3.0.CO;2-C

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Suita S, Stephen L (2002) Gans overseas lecture. Mass screening for neuroblastoma in Japan: lessons learned and future directions. J Pediatr Surg 37:949–954. doi:10.1053/jpsu.2002.33814

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bunin GR (2004) Nongenetic causes of childhood cancers: evidence from international variation, time trends, and risk factor studies. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 199:91–103. doi:10.1016/j.taap.2003.12.028

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. London WB, Boni L, Simon T et al (2005) The role of age in neuroblastoma risk stratification: the German, Italian, and children’s oncology group perspectives. Cancer Lett 228:257–266. doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2004.12.054

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Schmidt ML, Lal A, Seeger RC et al (2005) Favorable prognosis for patients 12 to 18 months of age with stage 4 nonamplified MYCN neuroblastoma: a Children’s Cancer Group Study. J Clin Oncol 23:6474–6480. doi:10.1200/JCO.2005.05.183

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. London WB, Castleberry RP, Matthay KK et al (2005) Evidence for an age cutoff greater than 365 days for neuroblastoma risk group stratification in the Children’s Oncology Group. J Clin Oncol 23:6459–6465. doi:10.1200/JCO.2005.05.571

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Nakagawara A, Ohira M (2004) Comprehensive genomics linking between neural development and cancer: neuroblastoma as a model. Cancer Lett 204:213–224. doi:10.1016/S0304-3835(03)00457-9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Haase GM, Perez C, Atkinson JB (1999) Current aspects of biology, risk assessment, and treatment of neuroblastoma. Semin Surg Oncol 16:91–104. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-2388(199903)16:2<91::AID-SSU3>3.0.CO;2-1

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Brodeur GM, Look AT, Shimada H et al (2001) Biological aspects of neuroblastomas identified by mass screening in Quebec. Med Pediatr Oncol 36:157–159. doi:10.1002/1096-911X(20010101)36:1<157::AID-MPO1038>3.0.CO;2-F

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kaneko Y, Kanda N, Maseki N et al (1990) Current urinary mass screening for catecholamine metabolites at 6 months of age may be detecting only a small portion of high-risk neuroblastomas: a chromosome and N-myc amplification study. J Clin Oncol 8:2005–2013

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Schilling FH, Spix C, Berthold F et al (2003) Children may not benefit from neuroblastoma screening at 1 year of age. Updated results of the population based controlled trial in Germany*1. Cancer Lett 197:19–28. doi:10.1016/S0304-3835(03)00077-6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kerbl R, Urban CE, Ambros IM et al (2003) Neuroblastoma mass screening in late infancy: insights into the biology of neuroblastic tumors. J Clin Oncol 21:4228–4234. doi:10.1200/JCO.2003.10.168

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Kerbl R, Urban CE, Ladenstein R et al (1997) Neuroblastoma screening in infants postponed after the sixth month of age: a trial to reduce “overdiagnosis” and to detect cases with “unfavorable” biologic features. Med Pediatr Oncol 29:1–10. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-911X(199707)29:1<1::AID-MPO1>3.0.CO;2-J

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Suita S, Zaizen Y, Sera Y et al (1996) Mass screening for neuroblastoma: quo vadis? A 9-year experience from the Pediatric Oncology Study Group of the Kyushu area in Japan. J Pediatr Surg 31:555–558. doi:10.1016/S0022-3468(96)90495-9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Anonymous (1999) Report of the 1998 consensus conference on neuroblastoma screening. Med Pediatr Oncol 33:357–359. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-911X(199910)33:4<357::AID-MPO2>3.0.CO;2-A

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Maris JM, Hogarty MD, Bagatell R, Cohn SL (2007) Neuroblastoma. Lancet 369:2106–2120. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60983-0

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Anonymous (1999) In: Ries LA, Smith MA, Gurney JG, Linet M, Tamra T, Young J, Bunin GR (eds) Cancer incidence and survival among children and adolescents: United States, SEER Program 1975–1995. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda

  19. French AE, Grant R, Weitzman S et al (2003) Folic acid food fortification is associated with a decline in neuroblastoma. Clin Pharmacol Ther 74:288–294. doi:10.1016/S0009-9236(03)00200-5

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Munzer C, Menegaux F, Lacour B et al (2008) Birth-related characteristics, congenital malformation, maternal reproductive history and neuroblastoma: the ESCALE study (SFCE). Int J Cancer 122:2315–2321. doi:10.1002/ijc.23301

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Hamrick SE, Olshan AF, Neglia JP, Pollock BH (2001) Association of pregnancy history and birth characteristics with neuroblastoma: a report from the Children’s Cancer Group and the Pediatric Oncology Group. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 15:328–337. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3016.2001.0376a.x

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Schuz J, Kaletsch U, Meinert R, Kaatsch P, Spix C, Michaelis J (2001) Risk factors for neuroblastoma at different stages of disease. Results from a population-based case–control study in Germany. J Clin Epidemiol 54:702–709. doi:10.1016/S0895-4356(00)00339-5

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Neglia JP, Smithson WA, Gunderson P, King FL, Singher LJ, Robison LL (1988) Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for neuroblastoma. A case–control study. Cancer 61:2202–2206. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(19880601)61:11<2202::AID-CNCR2820611113>3.0.CO;2-7

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Chow EJ, Friedman DL, Mueller BA (2007) Maternal and perinatal characteristics in relation to neuroblastoma. Cancer 109:983–992. doi:10.1002/cncr.22486

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Mili F, Khoury MJ, Flanders WD, Greenberg RS (1993) Risk of childhood cancer for infants with birth defects. I. A record-linkage study, Atlanta, Georgia, 1968–1988. Am J Epidemiol 137:629–638

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Altmann AE, Halliday JL, Giles GG (1998) Associations between congenital malformations and childhood cancer. A register-based case–control study. Br J Cancer 78:1244–1249

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Merks JH, Caron HN, Hennekam RC (2005) High incidence of malformation syndromes in a series of 1,073 children with cancer. Am J Med Genet A 134:132–143. doi:10.1002/ajmg.a.30603

    Google Scholar 

  28. Urayama KY, Von Behren J, Reynolds P (2007) Birth characteristics and risk of neuroblastoma in young children. Am J Epidemiol 165:486–495. doi:10.1093/aje/kwk041

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Yeazel MW, Ross JA, Buckley JD, Woods WG, Ruccione K, Robison LL (1997) High birth weight and risk of specific childhood cancers: a report from the Children’s Cancer Group. J Pediatr 131:671–677. doi:10.1016/S0022-3476(97)70091-X

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. McCall EE, Olshan AF, Daniels JL (2005) Maternal hair dye use and risk of neuroblastoma in offspring. Cancer Causes Control 16:743–748. doi:10.1007/s10552-005-1229-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Steliarova-Foucher E, Stiller C, Lacour B, Kaatsch P (2005) International classification of childhood cancer, third edition. Cancer 103:1457–1467. doi:10.1002/cncr.20910

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. McLaughlin CC, Baptiste MS, Schymura MJ, Nasca PC, Zdeb MS (2006) Birth weight, maternal weight and childhood leukaemia. Br J Cancer 94:1738–1744. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6603173

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. McLaughlin CC, Baptiste MS, Schymura MJ, Nasca PC, Zdeb MS (2006) Maternal and infant birth characteristics and hepatoblastoma. Am J Epidemiol 163:818–828. doi:10.1093/aje/kwj104

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Ventura SJ, Menacker F, Park MM, Sutton PD (2002) Births: final data for 2001. Natl Vital Stat Rep 51:1–102

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Rothman K, Greenland S (1998) Modern epidemiology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philidelphia

    Google Scholar 

  36. Khoury MJ, Flanders WD, James LM, Erickson JD (1989) Human teratogens, prenatal mortality, and selection bias. Am J Epidemiol 130:361–370

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Cragan JD, Khoury MJ (2000) Effect of prenatal diagnosis on epidemiologic studies of birth defects. Epidemiology 11:695–699. doi:10.1097/00001648-200011000-00014

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Kramer S, Ward E, Meadows AT, Malone KE (1987) Medical and drug risk factors associated with neuroblastoma: a case–control study. J Natl Cancer Inst 78:797–804

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Acharya S, Jayabose S, Kogan SJ et al (1997) Prenatally diagnosed neuroblastoma. Cancer 80:304–310. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19970715)80:2<304::AID-CNCR19>3.0.CO;2-Y

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Newton ER, Louis F, Dalton ME, Feingold M (1985) Fetal neuroblastoma and catecholamine-induced maternal hypertension. Obstet Gynecol 65:49S–52S

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Schwartzbaum JA (1992) Influence of the mother’s prenatal drug consumption on risk of neuroblastoma in the child. Am J Epidemiol 135:1358–1367

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Schuz J, Weihkopf T, Kaatsch P (2007) Medication use during pregnancy and the risk of childhood cancer in the offspring. Eur J Pediatr 166:433–441. doi:10.1007/s00431-006-0401-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Bjorge T, Engeland A, Tretli S, Heuch I (2008) Birth and parental characteristics and risk of neuroblastoma in a population-based Norwegian cohort study. Br J Cancer 99:1165–1169

    Google Scholar 

  44. Michalek AM, Buck GM, Nasca PC, Freedman AN, Baptiste MS, Mahoney MC (1996) Gravid health status, medication use, and risk of neuroblastoma. Am J Epidemiol 143:996–1001

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Buck GM, Michalek AM, Chen CJ, Nasca PC, Baptiste MS (2001) Perinatal factors and risk of neuroblastoma. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 15:47–53. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3016.2001.00307.x

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Bluhm E, McNeil DE, Cnattingius S, Gridley G, El GL, Fraumeni Jr JF (2008) Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for neuroblastoma. Int J Cancer 123:2885–2890

    Google Scholar 

  47. Langer T, Deeg KH, Hummer P, Paulides M, Beck JD, Klinge J (2007) Postnatal respiratory distress in a dichorial twin with congenital thoracic neuroblastoma after assisted reproduction by intracytoplasmatic sperm injection. Pediatr Blood Cancer 48:358–360. doi:10.1002/pbc.20936

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Li AM, Chang J, Kumar A (2001) Neonatal neuroblastoma presenting with respiratory distress. J Paediatr Child Health 37:203–205. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1754.2001.00590.x

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Halperin DS, Oberhansli I, Siegrist CA et al (1984) Intrathoracic neuroblastoma presenting with neonatal cardiorespiratory distress. Chest 85:822–823. doi:10.1378/chest.85.6.822

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Hermansen CL, Lorah KN (2007) Respiratory distress in the newborn. Am Fam Physician 76:987–994

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Raabe EH, Laudenslager M, Winter C et al (2008) Prevalence and functional consequence of PHOX2B mutations in neuroblastoma. Oncogene 27:469–476. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1210659

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Roohan PJ, Josberger RE, Acar J, Dabir P, Feder HM, Gagliano PJ (2003) Validation of birth certificate data in New York State. J Community Health 28:335–346. doi:10.1023/A:1025492512915

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Reichman NE, Schwartz-Soicher O (2007) Accuracy of birth certificate data by risk factors and outcomes: analysis of data from New Jersey. Am J Obstet Gynecol 197:32–38. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2007.02.026

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Schuz J, Kaatsch P, Kaletsch U, Meinert R, Michaelis J (1999) Association of childhood cancer with factors related to pregnancy and birth. Int J Epidemiol 28:631–639. doi:10.1093/ije/28.4.631

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Lee J, Chia KS, Cheung KH, Chia SE, Lee HP (2004) Birthweight and the risk of early childhood cancer among Chinese in Singapore. Int J Cancer 110:465–467. doi:10.1002/ijc.20159

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Daling JR, Starzyk P, Olshan AF, Weiss NS (1984) Birth weight and the incidence of childhood cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 72:1039–1041

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Johnson CC, Spitz MR (1985) Neuroblastoma: case–control analysis of birth characteristics. J Natl Cancer Inst 74:789–792

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Suminoe A, Matsuzaki A, Kinukawa N et al (1999) Rapid somatic growth after birth in children with neuroblastoma: a survey of 1718 patients with childhood cancer in Kyushu-Okinawa district. J Pediatr 134:178–184. doi:10.1016/S0022-3476(99)70412-9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Smulevich VB, Solionova LG, Belyakova SV (1999) Parental occupation and other factors and cancer risk in children: I. Study methodology and non-occupational factors. Int J Cancer 83:712–717. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19991210)83:6<712::AID-IJC2>3.0.CO;2-D

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Altieri A, Castro F, Bermejo JL, Hemminki K (2006) Association between number of siblings and nervous system tumors suggests an infectious etiology. Neurology 67:1979–1983. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000247036.98444.38

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Menegaux F, Olshan AF, Neglia JP, Pollock BH, Bondy ML (2004) Day care, childhood infections, and risk of neuroblastoma. Am J Epidemiol 159:843–851. doi:10.1093/aje/kwh111

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Partial support for authors was received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Program of Cancer Registries by cooperative agreement U58DP000783-01 awarded to the New York State Department of Health. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Colleen C. McLaughlin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McLaughlin, C.C., Baptiste, M.S., Schymura, M.J. et al. Perinatal risk factors for neuroblastoma. Cancer Causes Control 20, 289–301 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-008-9243-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-008-9243-5

Keywords

Navigation