Search

Objectives: We evaluated parental occupation and the risk of neuroblastoma using data from a large case-control study conducted by the Children's Cancer Group and the Pediatric Oncology Group., Methods: We compared the distribution of 73 paternal and 57 maternal occupational groups among 504 newly diagnosed cases of neuroblastoma and individually matched controls obtained by telephone random digit dialing in the United States and Canada., Results: An increased risk of neuroblastoma was found for fathers employed as broadcast, telephone and dispatch operators (odds ratio [OR] = 6.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.7-50.9), electrical power installers and power plant operators (OR = 2.7; CI = 0.9-8.1), landscapers and groundskeepers (OR = 2.3; CI = 1.0-5.2), and painters (OR = 2.1; CI = 0.9-4.8). Elevated odds ratios were found for mothers employed as farmers and farm workers (OR = 2.2; CI = 0.6-8.8), florists and garden store workers (OR = 2.4; CI = 0.6-9.9), hairdressers and barbers (OR = 2.8; CI = 1.2-6.3), electric power installers and power plant operators, and sailors, fishers, and railroad workers. No increase in risk was found for other paternal occupations previously associated, including electricians, electrical equipment assemblers and repairers (OR = 1.1; CI = 0.6-2.0), or welders (OR = 0.5; CI = 0.1-1.6)., Conclusion: The study reinforced some prior evidence of increased risks in electrical, farming and gardening, and painting occupations, but failed to confirm other previously reported associations. Further analyses of exposure to electromagnetic fields, metals, solvents, and pesticides are currently under way.

Previous epidemiologic studies have suggested an association between maternal sex hormone use during pregnancy, including infertility medication, and an increased risk of neuroblastoma in the offspring. The authors conducted a case-control interview study from 1992 to 1996 that included 504 children less than 19 years of age whose newly diagnosed neuroblastoma was identified by two national collaborative clinical trials groups in the United States and Canada, the Children's Cancer Group and the Pediatric Oncology Group. Controls, matched to cases on age, were identified by random digit dialing. No association was found for use of oral contraceptives before or during pregnancy (first trimester odds ratio (OR) = 1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.5, 2.1). The odds ratio was slightly elevated for history of infertility (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.9, 2.1) and ever use of any infertility medication (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 0.7, 2.2). Specifically, ever use of clomiphene was associated with a 1.6-fold increased risk (95% CI: 0.8, 3.0) but not periconceptionally or during the index pregnancy. A suggestive pattern was found for gender of the offspring, with an increased risk for males but not for females after exposure to oral contraceptives or clomiphene. This study did not find consistent and large increased risks for maternal use of hormones, but the suggestion of an association for male offspring requires further consideration.