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Epidemiology and Risk Factors
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American Journal of Epidemiology 2006 (1 August) 164(3):222-231; doi:10.1093/aje/kwj174,
Originally published online on June 14, 2006
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Abstract |
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Parental Heat Exposure and Risk of
Childhood Brain Tumor: A Children's Oncology Group Study
Greta R. Bunin1,2,
Leslie L. Robison3,
Jaclyn A. Biegel2,4,
Ian F. Pollack5
and Lucy B. Rorke-Adams2,6
1Division of Oncology,
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. 2Department
of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
Philadelphia, PA. 3Department of Epidemiology and Cancer
Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN. 4Division
of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia,
PA. 5Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of
Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh,
PA. 6Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. -- Correspondence to Dr.
Greta R. Bunin, Division of Oncology, Room 1472, Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (e-mail: bunin@email.chop.edu
).
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Medulloblastoma (MB) and primitive
neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) are histologically similar
brain tumors that occur mostly in children.
As part of a comprehensive case-control study of MB/PNET, this
study explored parental exposure to heat and electromagnetic fields
as potential risk factors.
Parents of 318 cases (<6 years of age at diagnosis in
1991–1997 and registered with the Children's Cancer
Group) and 318 controls selected by random digit dialing
were interviewed.
In univariate analyses, moderately strong associations were
observed for mother's sauna use close to conception (odds
ratio = 3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 13.7) or in
the first trimester (odds ratio = 3.6, 95% CI: 0.7, 17.3)
and for father's exposure in the 3 months before the
pregnancy to sauna (odds ratio = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.3, 4.5),
electric blanket (odds ratio = 2.0, 95% CI: 0.9, 4.3), or
any heat source (for higher exposure: odds ratio = 2.5, 95% CI:
1.4, 4.6).
In multivariate models, father's sauna use and father's
exposure to any heat source were associated with MB/PNET in
a dose-response fashion (for high exposure: odds ratio = 3.4,
95% CI: 1.2, 9.7, and odds ratio = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.3, respectively).
This new observation regarding paternal exposure to heat
just prior to the index pregnancy deserves consideration in
future animal and human studies of MB/PNET.
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© 2006 by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health
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Abstract
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