Cancer Survivorship's Impact on Birth Defects

Children of young cancer survivors may face higher birth defect risks, says UTHealth Houston study (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Birth defects in offspring of adolescent and young adults with a history of cancer: a population-based study of 27,000 women

Go to source). A study led by Caitlin C. Murphy, Ph.D., MPH, associate professor of health promotion and behavioral sciences at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, was published recently in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

“Concerns like the health of future children are at the top of mind for many young adults diagnosed with cancer, but they are already so overwhelmed at the time of diagnosis with navigating cancer-related information,” said Murphy, who was first author of the study.

“Our findings can be used in clinical practice to provide counseling and inform this population of the potential risks and reproductive consequences of cancer, at the time of diagnosis and beyond.”

Children of Young Cancer Survivors

Researchers examined birth defects in 6,882 offspring, ages 12 months and younger, of women ages 15-39 at the time of cancer diagnosis, between 1999 and 2015. Common cancer types were thyroid (28.9%), lymphoma (12.5%), and breast (10.7%), and 24% of women received chemotherapy.

Overall, the risk of any birth defect was higher in the offspring of women with a history of cancer (6.0%) compared to the offspring of women without cancer (4.8%), although rare in both groups.

There was also an increased risk of specific types of defects in the offspring of women with a history of cancer, including eye or ear (1.39 times more likely), heart and circulatory (1.32 times more likely), genitourinary (1.38 times more likely), and musculoskeletal defects (1.37 times more likely).

Although birth defects are rare, Murphy said young women making decisions about pregnancy and prenatal care should receive appropriate counseling and surveillance. Screening offspring for birth defects could also provide an opportunity for targeted prevention, she said.

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“Many studies now demonstrate relationships between cancer and birth defects; children with birth defects also have a higher risk of cancer,” Murphy said. “The more we learn about how they are related to each other, the more we can identify opportunities to prevent both.”

Reference:

1. Birth defects in offspring of adolescent and young adults with a history of cancer: a population-based study of 27,000 women - (https://aacrjournals.org/cebp/article-abstract/doi/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-23-0743/729456)

Source-Eurekalert