Authors:
Milne E, Greenop KR, Scott RJ, Ashton LJ, Cohn RJ, de Klerk NH, Armstrong BK
Authors notes:
International journal of cancer. 2013;133(1):253-259
Keywords:
Childhood brain tumours, tobacco smoke, parental smoking, children, cancer
Abstract:
Childhood brain tumors (CBT) are the leading cause of cancer death in children, yet their etiology remains largely unknown.
Tobacco smoke contains 61 known carcinogens and increases the risk of several adult cancers.
This study investigated associations between parental smoking and risk of CBT in a population-based case-control study conducted between 2005 and 2010.
Overall, parental smoking before or during pregnancy showed no association with CBT risk.
The odds ratios for maternal smoking before and during pregnancy were 0.99 and 0.89, respectively, and those for paternal smoking before and during pregnancy were 0.99 and 1.04, respectively.
In children under 24 months of age, the odds ratios for maternal smoking preconception and during pregnancy were 5.06 and 4.61, although these results were based on modest numbers.
Future studies should investigate the associations between maternal smoking and risk of CBT by the child's age of diagnosis.