PRENATAL X-RAY EXPOSURE AND CHILDHOOD CANCER

Journal Article · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1962 · Journal of the National Cancer Institute (U.S.) Changed to JNCI, J. Natl. Cancer Inst.

OSTI ID:4840574

MacMahon, B

>This study was designed to test the hypothesis that in utero exposure to x ray in diagnostic doses increases subsequent mortallty from neoplastic dlsease durlng chlldhood. The study population conslsted of 734,243 chlldren born ln and dlscharged allve from any of 37 large maternity hospltals ln the Northeast United States in the years 1947 to l954. The frequency of lntrauterlne x-ray exposure ln the populatlon was estlmated by revlew of the records of a l percent systematic sample. Abdomlnal or pelvlc x rays were recorded in 770 (10.6%) of the 7,242 single pregnancles ln the sample. Flve hundred and elghty- four chlldren born in the study populatlon who subsequently died of cancer were identlfled by review of death and birth certificates in the Northeast Reglon, The records of pregnancy and dellvery of 569 of these chlldren were also revlewed. Elghty-flve (l5.3%) of the 556 cancer deaths born of slngle pregnancles had lntrauterlne x-ray exposure. The higher frequency of prenatal x ray in the cancer cases than in the sample was statistically slgnlflcant. After correction for indirect assoclations with birth order and other compllcating variables, it was estimated that cancer mortality was about 40 percent higher ln the x-rayed than in the unxrayed members of the study population. Thls relationship held for each of the three major dlagnostlc categoriesleukemia, neoplasms of the central nervous system, and other neoplasms. The excess cancer mortallty ln the x-rayed group was most marked at ages 5 through 7 years, at which tlme the relative rlsk was 2.0. The excess risk apparently was exhausted by age 8. A trend toward higher mortality ln the more heavlly exposed chlldren was small and not statlstlcally slgniflcant. No slgnificant varlatlon with stage of pregnancey at exposure was evident. The assoclation of lntrauterlne x-ray exposure with cancer mortality does not explaln the hlgh lncldence of leukemla ln flrst births noted previously. (auth)

• Research Organization: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; and Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn
• NSA Number: NSA-16-018779
• OSTI ID: 4840574
• Journal Information: Journal of the National Cancer Institute (U.S.) Changed to JNCI, J. Natl. Cancer Inst., Journal Name: Journal of the National Cancer Institute (U.S.) Changed to JNCI, J. Natl. Cancer Inst. Vol. Vol: 28; ISSN JNCIA
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

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