Regular Article

British Journal of Cancer (2001) 84, 1193–1198. doi:10.1054/bjoc.2000.1738 www.bjcancer.com
Published online 1 May 2001

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

S W Andersson1, C Bengtsson2, L Hallberg1, L Lapidus3, A Niklasson4, A Wallgren5 and L Hulthén1

  1. 1Department of Clinical Nutrition, Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
  2. 2Department of Primary Health Care, Göteborg University, SE 411 33 Göteborg, Sweden
  3. 3Department of Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
  4. 4Göteborg Pediatric Growth Research Centre, Institute for the Health of Women and Children, Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden
  5. 5Department of Oncology, Göteborg University, SE 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden

Received 25 September 2000; Revised 23 January 2001; Accepted 25 January 2001.

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Abstract

The relationship between fetal growth as indicated by weight and length at birth, and cancer risk in 1080 adult Swedish women was examined. Birth factors were retrieved from original midwife records for the years 1914, 1918, 1922 and 1930, and primary cancer cases were identified by matching with national and regional cancer registries through the year 1998. A positive and statistically significant increased risk for cancer was found with increasing birth weight or birth length for all site cancer and non-hormone related cancer, defined as all cancer sites excluding breast, uterus and ovary. Addition of factors suspected to influence cancer risk, maternal proteinuria, birth order, own parity and age at menarche, did not attenuate this relation. 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 sites other than the major hormone-related sites may be influenced by size at birth, as measured by either weight or length at birth; these findings warrant further investigation. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com

Keywords:

adult, birth weight, cancer, epidemiology, prenatal, women

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