Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and infections in the first year of life: a report from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study.
dc.contributor.author | Roman, Eve | |
dc.contributor.author | Simpson, Jill | |
dc.contributor.author | Ansell, Pat | |
dc.contributor.author | Kinsey, Sally E | |
dc.contributor.author | Mitchell, Christopher D | |
dc.contributor.author | McKinney, Patricia A | |
dc.contributor.author | Birch, Jillian M | |
dc.contributor.author | Greaves, Martin J | |
dc.contributor.author | Eden, Tim O B | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2009-06-30T14:30:39Z | |
dc.date.available | 2009-06-30T14:30:39Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2007-03-01 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and infections in the first year of life: a report from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study. 2007, 165 (5):496-504 Am. J. Epidemiol. | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 0002-9262 | |
dc.identifier.pmid | 17182983 | |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1093/aje/kwk039 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10541/71981 | |
dc.description.abstract | The United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study was designed to examine the relation between childhood cancer and preceding exposure to infectious diseases. The authors analyzed the relation between diagnosis (1991-1996) of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at ages 2-5 years and clinically diagnosed infections in infancy. Almost all study children (96% of both cases and controls) were taken to a general practitioner for a non-immunization-associated visit at least once before their first birthday. Children diagnosed with ALL had significantly more clinically diagnosed infectious episodes in infancy than did controls; the average number of episodes was 3.6 (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.3, 3.9) versus 3.1 (95% CI: 2.9, 3.2). This case-control difference was most apparent in the neonatal period (< or =1 month); 18% of controls and 24% of ALL cases were diagnosed with at least one infection (odds ratio = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9; p < 0.05). Cases who had more than one neonatal infectious episode tended to be diagnosed with ALL at a comparatively young age; the mean age at ALL diagnosis was 37.7 months for cases with two or more episodes versus 45.3 months for cases with only one episode or none (p < 0.01). These findings support the hypothesis that a dysregulated immune response to infection in the first few months of life promotes transition to overt ALL later in childhood. | |
dc.language.iso | en | en |
dc.subject.mesh | Age of Onset | |
dc.subject.mesh | Case-Control Studies | |
dc.subject.mesh | Child, Preschool | |
dc.subject.mesh | Confidence Intervals | |
dc.subject.mesh | Female | |
dc.subject.mesh | Great Britain | |
dc.subject.mesh | Humans | |
dc.subject.mesh | Infant | |
dc.subject.mesh | Infant, Newborn | |
dc.subject.mesh | Infection | |
dc.subject.mesh | Male | |
dc.subject.mesh | Odds Ratio | |
dc.subject.mesh | Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma | |
dc.subject.mesh | Risk Factors | |
dc.title | Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and infections in the first year of life: a report from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study. | en |
dc.type | Article | en |
dc.contributor.department | Epidemiology and Genetics Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, United Kingdom. eve.roman@egu.york.ac.uk | en |
dc.identifier.journal | American Journal of Epidemiology | en |
html.description.abstract | The United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study was designed to examine the relation between childhood cancer and preceding exposure to infectious diseases. The authors analyzed the relation between diagnosis (1991-1996) of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at ages 2-5 years and clinically diagnosed infections in infancy. Almost all study children (96% of both cases and controls) were taken to a general practitioner for a non-immunization-associated visit at least once before their first birthday. Children diagnosed with ALL had significantly more clinically diagnosed infectious episodes in infancy than did controls; the average number of episodes was 3.6 (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.3, 3.9) versus 3.1 (95% CI: 2.9, 3.2). This case-control difference was most apparent in the neonatal period (< or =1 month); 18% of controls and 24% of ALL cases were diagnosed with at least one infection (odds ratio = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9; p < 0.05). Cases who had more than one neonatal infectious episode tended to be diagnosed with ALL at a comparatively young age; the mean age at ALL diagnosis was 37.7 months for cases with two or more episodes versus 45.3 months for cases with only one episode or none (p < 0.01). These findings support the hypothesis that a dysregulated immune response to infection in the first few months of life promotes transition to overt ALL later in childhood. |