INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CANCER IN INFANTS IN THE US - 1980-1990

BACKGROUND. During the decade between 1980-1990, the rate of cancer in children in the U.S. increased. It is unknown whether cancer in infan cy, which is biologically and clinically different from cancer in olde r children, also increased. METHODS. To evaluate changes in cancer inc idence in infants in the U.S. age < 1 year, data from the Surveillance , Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and the U.S. Bureau of the Census were used to construct age specific, population-based cance r incidence rates. RESULTS. Overall, the annual cancer rate in infants increased from 189 cases per million infants: between 1979-1981 to 22 0 between 1989-1991. At both timepoints, female infants had higher can cer rates than male infants. Although the rates for female infants rem ained stable at 223 between 1979-1981 versus 236 between 1989-1991, ra tes for male infants increased from 158 to 205 during the same timepoi nts. Male infants had increased rates of central nervous system (CNS) tumors (P < 0.05), neuroblastoma, and retinoblastoma; female infants h ad increased rates of teratomas (P < 0.01) and hepatoblastomas. Betwee n 1979-1981, the three most common types of cancer in infants were neu roblastoma. leukemia, and renal tumors (27%, 15%, and 14%, respectivel y), and were neuroblastoma, CNS tumors, and leukemia between 1989-1991 (27%, 15%, and 13%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS. This study shows chat the rate of certain types of cancer in infants in the U.S. is increas ing. Studies of both genetic and environmental factors are needed to e xplain these increased rates and the changing distribution of cancer i n the first year of life. (C) 1998 American Cancer Society.