Epidemiology of cancer in children
The epidemiologic features of cancers among children have stimulated abundant descriptive and analytic investigation. The descriptive work has demonstrated consistent differences in the incidence rates of these cancers by anatomic site, age, race, and gender. It is clear that the various forms of cancer during childhood have distinctive patterns of occurrence. To a large extent, the characteristic population distributions of these diseases may represent differences in the underlying etiologic processes. Analytic studies of cancer during childhood have addressed possible genetic and environmental risk factors for these diseases. The demonstration of cancers induced by transplacental exposure to diethylstilbestrol has confirmed the speculation that the prenatal environment may influence subsequent carcinogenesis. Although possible leukemogenic effects of intrauterine diagnostic irradiation remain controversial, the issue may become unimportant clinically as prenatal irradiation is replaced by other diagnostic modalities (194). To date, studies of prenatal ultrasound have provided no evidence of an overall excess of subsequent malignancies. Postnatal exposure to high doses of irradiation is known to produce considerable excesses of leukemias and other cancers. At present, there are insufficient data available to reach a firm conclusion on the possible carcinogenic effects of exposure during childhood to low doses of irradiation, fringe magnetic fields, or chemicals.
- Research Organization:
- Emory Univ. School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- OSTI ID:
- 6231377
- Journal Information:
- Epidemiol. Rev.; (United States), Journal Name: Epidemiol. Rev.; (United States); ISSN EPIRD
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The risk of childhood cancer from intrauterine and preconceptional exposure to ionizing radiation
Uses of available record systems in epidemiologic studies of reproductive toxicology
Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGE GROUPS
ASIA
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CARCINOGENESIS
CHILDREN
DISEASES
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
EPIDEMIOLOGY
EUROPE
HEMIC DISEASES
IRRADIATION
LEUKEMIA
LOW DOSE IRRADIATION
NEOPLASMS
PATHOGENESIS
PREGNANCY
PRENATAL EXPOSURE
PRENATAL IRRADIATION
RADIATION EFFECTS