Childhood leukaemia and socioeconomic status: fact or artefact? A report from the United Kingdom childhood cancer study (UKCCS).
Int J Epidemiol
; 35(6): 1504-13, 2006 Dec.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16945940
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
It is widely believed that children of high socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely than those of low SES to develop acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Such observations have led to wide-ranging speculations about the potential aetiological role of factors associated with affluence and modernization.METHODS:
Children (0-14 years) newly diagnosed with cancer in the UK between 1991 and 1996 were ascertained via a rapid hospital-based case finding system (n = 4430, of which 1578 were ALL). Children without cancer (controls) were randomly selected from primary care population registries for comparative purposes (n = 7763). Area-based deprivation scores were assigned as markers of SES at two time points - birth and diagnosis. An individual-based marker of SES - social class - was assigned using father's occupation as recorded on the child's birth certificate.RESULTS:
No differences in area-based measures of deprivation were observed between cases and controls at time of diagnosis, either for all cancers combined [n = 4430, odds ratio (OR) = 1.00 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.98-1.01)] or for ALL alone (n = 1578 OR = 0.99, 95%CI 0.96-1.01). Findings were similar at time of birth (all cancers, OR = 0.99 95%CI 0.98-1.01, ALL OR = 0.98, 95%CI 0.96-1.00). In addition, no case-control differences were observed when an individual-based measure of SES - social class - based on father's occupation at time of birth was used.CONCLUSIONS:
The comprehensive nature of the data, coupled with complete case-ascertainment and representative population-based controls suggests that SES in the UK is not a determinant of ALL in children. We believe the small effects reported for SES in some past studies may be artefactual.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Contexto em Saúde:
11_ODS3_cobertura_universal
Problema de saúde:
11_multisectoral_coordination
Assunto principal:
Fatores Socioeconômicos
/
Leucemia-Linfoma Linfoblástico de Células Precursoras
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Epidemiol
Ano de publicação:
2006
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido