Antenatal maternal bereavement and childhood cancer in the offspring: a population-based cohort study in 6 million children

作者：Li J^*; Vestergaard M; Obel C; Cnattingus S; Gissler M; Ahren**erg J; Olsen J

来源：British Journal of Cancer, 2012, 107(3): 544-548.

DOI：10.1038/bjc.2012.288

• childhood cancer
• bereavement
• prenatal stress
• mother
• association

BACKGROUND: Prenatal stress may increase the susceptibility to childhood cancer by affecting immune responses and hormonal balance. We examined whether antenatal stress following maternal bereavement increased the risk of childhood cancer. %26lt;br%26gt;METHODS: All children born in Denmark from 1968 to 2007 (N = 2 743 560) and in Sweden from 1973 to 2006 (N = 3 400 212) were included in this study. We compared cancer risks in children born to women who lost a first-degree relative (a child, spouse, a parent, or a sibling) the year before pregnancy or during pregnancy with cancer risks in children of women who did not experience such bereavement. %26lt;br%26gt;RESULTS: A total of 9795 childhood cancer cases were observed during follow-up of 68 360 707 person years. Children born to women who lost a child or a spouse, but not those who lost other relatives, had an average 30% increased risk of any cancer (hazard ratio (HR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-1.77). The HRs were the highest for non-Hodgkin disease (512 cases in total, HR 3.40, 95% CI 1.51-7.65), hepatic cancer (125 cases in total, HR 5.51, 95% CI 1.34-22.64), and testicular cancer (86 cases in total, HR 8.52, 95% CI 2.03-37.73). %26lt;br%26gt;CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that severe antenatal stress following maternal bereavement, especially due to loss of a child or a spouse, is associated with an increased risk of certain childhood cancers in the offspring, such as hepatic cancer and non-Hodgkin disease, but not with childhood cancer in general. British Journal of Cancer (2012) 107, 544-548. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2012.288 www.bjcancer.

• 出版日期2012-7-24