Environmental and social risk factors in association with spatial clustering of embryonal cancer incidence Restricted; Files Only
Boehm, Rachel (Spring 2022)
Published
Abstract
Cancer is among the top 10 leading causes of death for children aged 0-4 years of age. Embryonal cancers compose roughly 20% of all childhood cancer cases. They almost exclusively appear in young children, with the highest incidence rates, except for ganglioneuroblastoma, in the first year of life. Aside from high-dose radiation and prior chemotherapy, there are no established external risk factors for childhood cancer. The aim of this study is to examine the association of harmful combinations of air pollutants, pesticides and other social risk factors and embryonal cancer incidence among 0-4-year-olds.
This ecological study uses data of 875 embryonal cancer cases registered in the state of Georgia and included those who had a new diagnosis of one of seven subgroups of embryonal cancer. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIR) of embryonal cancers based on age, gender and ethnic composition in each of the 159 counties in Georgia, USA. High-quality estimates for PM2.5 and its components with a 1 km resolution were used, which are publicly available. Country-level data on pesticides were collected from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service searchable database called Quick Stats. Socioeconomic characteristics were measured using 17 county-level indicators corresponding to six socioeconomic domains from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey. We applied an unsupervised learning tool (self-organizing map, SOM) to identify pertinent types of multi-exposure combinations. Zero-inflated spatial Bayesian Poisson models (Leroux-CAR) were fit with indicators for each multi-exposure category as exposure and SIR of embryonal cancers as outcomes.
Significantly higher SIRs were observed in areas of increased alcohol consumption. To our knowledge, this is one of the few studies to find a significant association between alcohol consumption and embryonal cancer. Future studies should be conducted to replicate these findings in wider geographic areas and using individual-level data.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
Methods ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Results ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
Discussion………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………6
References………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………..8
Tables and Figures……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………12
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File download under embargo until 23 May 2024 | 2022-04-25 23:28:56 -0400 | File download under embargo until 23 May 2024 |
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