1. Perinatal Famine Exposure and Young-Onset Cancer—Lessons from China Health and Nutrition Survey.
- Author
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Shuai, Aidi, Ullah, Shahid, Yu, Yongfu, Pandol, Stephen J., and Barreto, Savio George
- Subjects
TUMOR risk factors ,HYPERTENSION risk factors ,RISK assessment ,CROSS-sectional method ,MALNUTRITION ,MATERNAL exposure ,PRENATAL exposure delayed effects ,CHILD health services ,MULTIPLE regression analysis ,MULTIVARIATE analysis ,AGE factors in disease ,GENITOURINARY organ tumors ,FAMINES ,TUMORS ,COMPARATIVE studies ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,PERINATAL period ,NUTRITION ,DISEASE incidence ,TIME ,DISEASE complications - Abstract
Simple Summary: The PELICan hypothesis speaks to the role of perinatal and early life stressors (including malnutrition) in the causation of young-onset cancers. To date, there is no evidence correlating perinatal malnutrition and the risk of young-onset cancer. The Great Famine of China was a significant event in human history. The present study compared the incidence of young-onset cancers in individuals born during and just after the famine to those born prior to the famine. Perinatal exposure to famine, especially in females, was associated with a higher risk of young-onset cancer. This was particularly evident for young-onset genitourinary cancers. Background/Objectives: Perinatal exposure to malnutrition has been hypothesised to influence the development of young-onset cancer (≤50 years of age). This study aimed to determine if perinatal malnutrition in individuals exposed to the Great Famine of China increased their risk of developing young-onset cancer compared to other individuals born prior to the famine. Subjects/Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 7272 participants from the China Health and Nutrition Survey who were classified into four groups based on birth year: participants born between 1953 and 1955 (before the famine) were designated as the pre-famine group (unexposed); the remainder formed perinatal exposure groups comprised of those exposed during the famine (1959–1961), those exposed in the early post-famine period (1962–1964), and those exposed in the late post-famine period (1965–1967). Multivariable adjusted log-binomial regression models were used to calculate the RR and 95% CI of young-onset cancer (including genitourinary cancer) across four groups. Results: Perinatal exposure to early post-famine (RR 2.08; 95%CI 1.04, 4.34; p = 0.043) and the female sex (RR 15.6, 95%CI 4.54, 60.3; p < 0.001) were noted to have a significantly increased risk of young-onset cancer. In addition, the early (RR 13.8; 95%CI 2.68, 253; p = 0.012) and late post-famine (RR 12.3; 95%CI 2.16, 231; p = 0.020) cohorts demonstrated a significantly increased risk of young-onset genitourinary cancer. The latter was accompanied by an increased risk of hypertension (RR 3.30; 95%CI 1.28, 7.87; p = 0.009). Conclusions: Perinatal exposure to famine, especially in females, was associated with a higher risk of young-onset cancer. This was particularly evident for young-onset genitourinary cancers. These findings highlight the potential long-term impact of perinatal malnutrition on young-onset carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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