EVALUATING THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MATERNAL REPRODUCTIVE HISTORY, BIRTH CHARACTERISTICS, AND INFANT LEUKEMIA - A REPORT FROM THE CHILDRENS CANCER GROUP

PURPOSE: Specific events in the mother's reproductive history and cert ain birth characteristics have been associated with childhood leukemia . Few studies have explored these associations specifically in infants . METHODS: The Children's Cancer Group (CCG) conducted three separate case control studies of childhood leukemia that involved similar metho dologies and data collection. Data from interviews of the mothers of a total of 303 children diagnosed with leukemia at 1 year of age or you nger and their matched controls (n = 468) were available from the thre e studies. These data included maternal reproductive history (stillbir ths, abortions, and miscarriages) and certain birth characteristics of the index child. RESULTS: Compared with controls, cases were signific antly more likely to be female (P < 0.01) and were more often heavier at birth (particularly cases diagnosed after 6 months of age (odds rat io, 4.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.75-10.02)). Overall, there were n o statistically significant differences between cases and controls in regard to maternal report of any type of previous fetal loss. Finally, being a later-born child was associated with an increased risk of acu te myeloid leukemia but not of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. CONCLUSIO NS: The relationships among birthweight, prior fetal loss, and risk of infant leukemia appear to be complex. Further studies of infant leuke mia that incorporate molecular as well as epidemiologic data may help to elucidate these differences. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc.