Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Wilms tumor in childhood: the role of birth weight

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There is emerging evidence that higher birth weight is associated with increased risk of cancer, in particular childhood leukemia. The purpose of this paper is to study whether this correlation is also significant with other childhood cancer. For this, we conducted a case–control study including 410 childhood cancer patients and 1,575 matched controls to investigate birth weight as a risk factor for leukemia, Wilms tumor, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The estimated risk for all cancers has been found to be statistically and significantly higher in birth weight of more than 4,000 g (odds ratio, 2.50 and 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.72–3.63). For leukemia, the estimated risk was 1.86 (95% CI, 1.04–3.30), for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.99 (95% CI, 1.08–3.69), and being more remarkable for Wilms tumor, 4.76 (95% CI, 2.73–8.28). Moreover, moderate increased risk of both leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma was also associated with birth weight between 3,000 and 3,999 g. High birth weight was associated with all cancers also when adjusted by gestational age, length at birth, and gender (odds ratio, 6.10 and 95% CI, 1.15–32.57). No associations were found for maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, maternal smoking, or smoking by other people at home or presence of obstetric variables (e.g., gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and abruptio placentae). The present study supports the hypothesis that high birth weight is an independent risk factor for childhood Wilms tumor, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Further studies should explore biological reasons to explain this relationship and, ultimately, to expand our knowledge about prenatal influences on the occurrence of this disease.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ahlgren M, Wohlfahrt J, Olsen LW et al (2007) Birth weight and risk of cancer. Cancer 110:412–419. doi:10.1002/cncr.22773

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Barker DJP (2004) Developmental origins of adult health and disease. J Epidemiol Community Health 58:114–115. doi:10.1136/jech.58.2.114

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Breslow NE, Beckwith JB, Perlman EJ et al (2006) Age distributions, birth weights, nephrogenic rests, and heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of Wilms tumor. Pediatr Blood Cancer 47:260–267. doi:10.1002/pbc.20891

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bunin GR, Kramer S, Marrero O et al (1987) Gestational risk factors for Wilms' tumor: results of a case-control study. Cancer Res 47:2972–2977

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Christou H, Connors JM, Ziotopoulou M et al (2001) Cord blood leptin and insulin-like growth factor levels are independent predictors of fetal growth. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 86:935–938. doi:10.1210/jc.86.2.935

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Estrov Z, Meir R, Barak Y et al (1991) Human growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 enhance the proliferation of human leukemic blasts. J Clin Oncology 9:394–399

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Franco MC, Christofalo DM, Ajzen SA et al (2006) Effects of low birth weight in 8- to 13-year-old children: implications in endothelial function and uric acid levels. Hypertension 48:45–50. doi:10.1161/01.HYP.0000223446.49596.3a

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Hjalgrim LL, Rostgaard K, Hjalgrim H et al (2004) Birth weight and risk for childhood leukemia in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. J Natl Cancer Inst 96:1549–1556

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hjalgrim LL, Westergaard T, Rostgaard K et al (2003) Birth weight as a risk factor for childhood leukemia: a meta-analysis of 18 epidemiologic studies. Am J Epidemiol 158:724–735. doi:10.1093/aje/kwg210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Koifman S, Pombo-de-Oliveira MS, Brazilian Collaborative Study Group of Infant Acute Leukemia (2008) High birth weight as an important risk factor for infant leukemia. Br J Cancer 98:664–667. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6604202

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lindblad P, Zack M, Adami HO et al (1992) Maternal and perinatal risk factors for Wilms' tumor: a nationwide nested case-control study in Sweden. Int J Cancer 51:38–41. doi:10.1002/ijc.2910510108

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ma X, Metayer C, Does MB et al (2005) Maternal pregnancy loss, birth characteristics, and childhood leukemia (United States). Cancer Causes Control 16:1075–1083

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Milne E, Royle JA, de Klerk NH et al (2009) Fetal growth and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: results from an Australian case-control study. Am J Epidemiol 170:221–228. doi:10.1093/aje/kwp117

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Nuyt AM, Alexander BT (2009) Developmental programming and hypertension. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens 18:144–152

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Olshan AF, Breslow NE, Falletta JM et al (1993) Risk factors for Wilms tumor. Report from the National Wilms Tumor Study. Cancer 72:938–944. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(19930801)72:3<938::AID-CNCR2820720345>3.0.CO;2-C

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Olson JE, Shu XO, Ross JA et al (1997) Medical record validation of maternally reported birth characteristics and pregnancy-related events: a report from the Children's Cancer Group. Am J Epidemiol 145(1):58–67

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Ong K, Kratzsch J, Kiess W et al (2000) Size at birth and cord blood levels of insulin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), IGF-II, IGF-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), IGFBP-3, and the soluble IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate receptor in term human infants. The ALSPAC Study Team. Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 85:4266–4269

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Paltiel O, Harlap S, Deutsch L et al (2004) Birth weight and other risk factors for acute leukemia in the Jerusalem Perinatal Study cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 13:1057–1064

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Podvin D, Kuehn CM, Mueller BA et al (2006) Maternal and birth characteristics in relation to childhood leukaemia. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 20(4):312–322. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3016.2006.00731.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Pollak M (2000) Insulin-like growth factor physiology and cancer risk. Eur J Cancer 36:1224–1228. doi:10.1016/S0959-8049(00)00102-7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Pollak M (2001) Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and prostate cancer. Epidemiol Rev 23:59–66

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Puumala SE, Soler JT, Johson KJ et al (2008) Birth characteristics and Wilms tumor in Minnesota. Int J Cancer 122:1368–1373. doi:10.1002/ijc.23275

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Reynolds P, Von Behren J, Elkin EP (2002) Birth characteristics and leukemia in young children. Am J Epidemiol 155:603–613. doi:10.1093/aje/155.7.603

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ross JA (2006) High birthweight and cancer: evidence and implications. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 15:1–2. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-05-0923

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Ross JA, Perentesis JP, Robison LL et al (1996) Big babies and infant leukemia: a role for insulin-like growth factor-1? Cancer Causes Control 7:553–559. doi:10.1007/BF00051889

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Ross JA, Potter JD, Shu XO et al (1997) Evaluating the relationships among maternal reproductive history, birth characteristics, and infant leukemia: a report from the Children's Cancer Group. Ann Epidemiol 7:172–179. doi:10.1016/S1047-2797(97)00012-4

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Sayer AA, SyddaaL H, O'Dell SD et al (2002) Polymorphism of the IGF2 gene, birth weight and grip strength in adult men. Age Ageing 31:468–470. doi:10.1093/ageing/31.6.468

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Schüz J, Forman MR (2007) Birthweight by gestational age and childhood cancer. Cancer Causes Control 18:655–663. doi:10.1007/s10552-007-9011-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Schüz J, Kaatsch P, Kaletsch U et al (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  Google Scholar 

  31. Schüz J, Kaletsch U, Meinert R et al (2001) High-birth weight and other risk factors for Wilms tumour: results of a population-based case-control study. Eur J Pediatr 160:333–338. doi:10.1007/PL00008443

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Yeazel MW, Ross JA, Buckley J et al (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  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Zack M, Adami HO, Ericson A (1991) Maternal and perinatal risk factors for childhood leukemia. Cancer Res 51:3696–3701

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Zhao R, Berho M, Nogueras J et al (2005) Positive correlation of insulin-like growth factor-II with proliferating cell index in patients with colorectal neoplasia. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 14:1819–1822. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-04-0803

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The financial support for this study was provided by a project grant from the Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP-07/58044-2). Marina Rangel receives fellowship from Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP-2009/51873-9).

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, Rua Botucatu, 740, 04023-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Marina Rangel & Maria do Carmo Pinho Franco

  2. Methodist University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marina Rangel

  3. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Mônica Cypriano, Maria Lúcia de Martino Lee, Flávio Augusto Vercillo Luisi, Antonio Sérgio Petrilli & Maria Wany Louzada Strufaldi

Authors
  1. Marina Rangel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mônica Cypriano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Maria Lúcia de Martino Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Flávio Augusto Vercillo Luisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonio Sérgio Petrilli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Maria Wany Louzada Strufaldi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Maria do Carmo Pinho Franco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria do Carmo Pinho Franco.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rangel, M., Cypriano, M., de Martino Lee, M.L. et al. Leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Wilms tumor in childhood: the role of birth weight. Eur J Pediatr 169, 875–881 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-010-1139-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-010-1139-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation