Cancer risk in Swedish women: the relation to size at birth

The relationship between fetal growth as indicated by weight and length at birth, and cancer risk in 1080 adult Swedish women was examined. Birth fact ors were retrieved from original midwife records far the years 1914, 1918, 1922 and 1930, and primary cancer cases were identified by matching with na tional and regional cancer registries through the year 1998. A positive and statistically significant increased risk for cancer was found with increas ing birth weight or birth length for all site cancer and non-hormone relate d cancer, defined as all cancer sites excluding breast, uterus and ovary. A ddition of factors suspected to influence cancer risk, maternal proteinuria , birth order, own parity and age at menarche, did not attenuate this relat ion. Previously only breast cancer has been reported to be related to size at birth in adult women and this is the first study to report that cancer s ites other than the major hormone-related sites may be influenced by size a t birth, as measured by either weight or length at birth; these findings wa rrant further investigation. (C) 2001 Cancer Research Campaign.