Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aetiology and Epidemiology

  • Chapter
Cancer in Children

Part of the book series: UICC International Union Against Cancer ((1360))

  • 111 Accesses

Abstract

Clinical observations have been a useful source of data on the epidemiology and aetiology of childhood neoplasms. In many countries, a, small number of highly specialized institutions treat most childhood cancer types, so that some estimates of occurrence, although subject to selection bias, can be made from their files. In addition, given the rarity of childhood cancers, associations relevant to aetiology have been identified through small series of clinical observations of the simultaneous presence of other equally rare conditions, such as congenital malformations in the same individual or the same cancer in other members of the family.

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

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Parkin DM, Stiller CA, Draper GJ, Bieber CA, Terracini B, Young JL (eds) (1988) International incidence of childhood cancer. IARC Sci Publ 87

    Google Scholar 

  2. Birch JM, Marsden HB (1987) A classification scheme for childhood cancer. Int J Cancer 40: 620–624

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Parkin DM, Stiller CA, Draper GJ, Bieber CA (1988) The international incidence of childhood cancer. Int J Cancer 42: 511–520

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Stiller CA, Parkin DM (1990) International variations in the incidence of childhood lymphomas. Paediatr Perin Epidemiol 4: 303–324

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Stiller CA, Parkin DM (1990) International variations in the incidence of childhood renal tumours. Br J Cancer 62: 1026–1030

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Muir C, Waterhouse J, Mack T, Powell J, Whelan S (eds) (1987) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol 5. IARC Scientific Publication 88, Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  7. van Hoff J, Schymura MJ, McCrea Curnen MG (1988) Trends in the incidence of childhood and adolescent cancer in Connecticut. Med Pediatr Oncol 16: 78–87

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Court Brown WM, Doll R (1961) Leukaemia in childhood and young adult life. Trends in mortality in relation to etiology. Br Med J 1: 981–988

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Li FP, Jin F, Tu C, Gao Y (1980) Incidence of childhood leukemia in Shanghai. Int J Cancer 25: 701–703

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Black D (1984) Investigation on the possible increased incidence of cancer in West Cumbria. HM Stationery Office, London

    Google Scholar 

  11. Gardner JM, Snee MP, Hall AJ, Powell CA, Downes S, Terrell JD (1990) Results of a case-control study of leukaemia and lymphoma among young people near Sellafield nuclear plant in West Cumbria. Br Med J 300: 423–429

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Gardner MJ, Hall AJ, Snee MP, Downes S, Powell CA, Terrell JD (1990) Methods and basic data of case-control study of leukaemia and lymphoma among young people near Sellafield nuclear plant in West Cumbria. Br Med J 300: 429–434

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Beral V (1990) Leukaemia and nuclear installations. Occupational exposure of fathers to radiation may be the explanation. Br Med J 300: 411–412

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Breslow NE, Langholz B (1983) Childhood cancer incidence: geographical and temporal variations. Int J Cancer 32: 703–716

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Birch JM, Swindell R, Marsden HB, Morris Jones PH (1981) Childhood leukaemia in north west England 1954–77: epidemiology, incidence and survival. Br J Cancer 43: 324–329

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Stiller CA, Draper GJ (1982) Trends in childhood leukaemia in Britain 1968–78. Br J Cancer 43: 324–329

    Google Scholar 

  17. Stiller CA, Draper GJ (1982) Trends in childhood leukaemia in Britain. Br J Cancer 43: 324–329

    Google Scholar 

  18. Young JL, Gloeckler Ries L, Silverberg E, Horm JW, Miller RW (1986) Cancer incidence, survival and mortality for children younger than age 15 years. Cancer 58: 598–602

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Stiller CA, Bunch KJ (1990) Trends in survival for childhood cancer in Britain diagnosed 1971–85. Br J Cancer 62: 806–815

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Stiller CA, Draper GJ (1989) Treatment centre size, entry to trials, and survival in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Arch Dis Child 64: 657–661

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. IARC (1987) Overall evaluations of carcinogenicity: an updating of IARC monographs, vol 1–42. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Chem Hum [Suppl] 7

    Google Scholar 

  22. Miller RW (1970) Neoplasia and Down’s syndrome. Ann NY Acad Sci 171: 637–639

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Breslow N, Beckwith JB, Ciol M, Sharples K (1988) Age distribution of Wilms’ tumor: report from the National Wilms’ Tumor Study. Cancer Res 48: 1653–1657

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Pastore G, Carli M, Lemerle J, Tournade MF, Voûte PA, Rey A, Burgers JMV, Zucker JM, Burger D, de Kraker J, Delemarre JFM (1988) Epidemiological features of Wilms’ tumor: results of studies by the International Society of Paediatric Oncology ( SIP ). Med Pediatr Oncol 16: 7–11

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Draper GJ, Heaf MM, Kinnier Wilson LM (1977) Occurrence of childhood cancers among sibs and estimation of familial risks. J Med Genet 14: 81–90

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Miller RW (1971) Deaths from childhood leukemia and solid tumors among twins and other sibs in the United States, 1960–67. JNCI 46: 203–209

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Knudson AG (1971) Mutation and cancer: statistical study on retinoblastoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 68: 820–823

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Li FP, Fraumeni JF Jr (1969) Soft-tissue sarcomas, breast cancer and other neoplasms. A familial syndrome? Ann Intern Med 74: 747–748

    Google Scholar 

  29. Li FP, Fraumeni JF Jr (1982) Prospective study of a family cancer syndrome. J Am Med Assoc 247: 2692–2695

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Birch JM, Hartley AL, Marsden HB, Harris M, Swindell R (1984) Excess risk of breast cancer in the mothers of children with soft tissue sarcoma. Br J Cancer 49: 325–331

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Strong LC, Sline M, Norsted TL (1987) Cancer in survivors of childhood soft tissue sarcoma and their relatives. JNCI 79: 1213–1220

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Pastore G, Mosso ML, Carli M, Ghibaudo P, DeBernardi B, Mancini A, Pianca C, Grotto P, Terracini B (1987) Cancer mortality among relatives of children with soft-tissue sarcoma: a national survey in Italy. Cancer Lett 37: 17–24

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Hartley AL, Birch JM, Marsden HB, Harris M (1986) Breast cancer risk in mothers of children with osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Br J Cancer 54: 819–823

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Hartley AL, Birch JM, Marsden HB, Harris M, Blair V (1988) Malignant disease in the mothers of children with Ewing’s tumour. Med Pediatr Oncol 16: 95–97

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Preston-Martin S, Yu MC, Benton B, Henderson BE (1982) N-Nitroso compounds and childhood brain tumors: a case-control study. Cancer Res 42: 5240–5245

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Magee P, Montesano R, Preussman R (1976) N-nitroso compounds and related carcinogens. In: Searle CE (ed) Chemical Carcinogens. American Cancer Society, Washington, pp 491–615

    Google Scholar 

  37. Kuitjen RR, Bunin GR, Nass CC, Meadows AT (1990) Gestational and familial risk factors for childhood astrocytoma: results of a case-control study. Cancer Res 50: 2608–2612

    Google Scholar 

  38. Howe GR, Burch JD, Chiarelli AM, Risch HA, Choi BCK (1989) An exploratory case-control study of brain tumors in children. Cancer Res 49: 4349–4352

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. IARC (1985) Tobacco smoking. IARC, Lyon (IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, vol 38 )

    Google Scholar 

  40. Stjernfeldt M, Berglund K, Lindsten J, Ludvigsson J (1986) Maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk of childhood cancer. Lancet 1: 1350–1352

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. McKinney PA, Cartwright RA, Saiu JMT, Mann JR, Stiller CA, Draper GJ, Hartley AL, Hopton PA, Birch JM, Waterhouse JAH (1987) The Interregional Epidemiological Study of Childhood Cancer (IRESCC): a case control study of aetiological factors in leukemia and lymphoma. Arch Dis Child 62: 279–287

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Buckley JD, Hobbie WL, Ruccione K, Sather HN, Woods WG, Hammond GD (1986) Maternal smoking during pregnancy and the risk of childhood cancer (letter). Lancet 2: 519–520

    Google Scholar 

  43. Magnani C, Pastore G, Luzzatto L, Terracini B (1990) Parental occupation and other environmental factors in the etiology of leukemias and non-Hodgkin lymphomas in childhood: a case-control study. Tumori 76: 413–419

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Grufferman S, Wang HH, DeLong ER, Kimm SY, Delzell ES, Falletta JM (1982) Environmental factors in the etiology of rhabdomyosarcoma in childhood. JNCI 68: 107–113

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Kramer S, Ward E, Meadows AT, Malone K (1987) Medical and drug risk factors associated with neuroblastoma: a case-control study. JNCI 78: 797–804

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Tomatis L, Cabral JRP, Likhachev AJ, Ponomarkov V (1981) Increased cancer incidence in the progeny of male rats exposed to ethylnitrosourea before mating. Int J Cancer 15: 385–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Arundel SE, Kinnier-Wilson LM (1986) Parental occupations and cancer: a review of the literature. J Epidemiol Comm Health 40: 30–36

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. University of Minnesota (1991) 2nd international symposium on neuroblastoma screening, Minneapolis

    Google Scholar 

  49. Miller AB (ed) (1978) Screening for cancer. International Union Against Cancer, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. B. Terracini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatric Oncology, Emma Kinderziekenhuis, Div. of Paediatrics Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, rm F8-239, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    P. A. Voûte

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Beatson Oncology Centre, Western Infirmary, G11 6NT, Glasgow, UK

    Ann Barrett

  3. Service de Pédiatrie, Institut Gustave Roussy, Rue Camille Desmoulins, F-94805, Villejuif Cedex, France

    Jean Lemerle

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Terracini, B. (1992). Aetiology and Epidemiology. In: Voûte, P.A., Barrett, A., Lemerle, J. (eds) Cancer in Children. UICC International Union Against Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84722-6_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84722-6_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-84724-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84722-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation