Birth Defects Higher in Offspring of Teen, Young Adult Women With Cancer History

FRIDAY, Nov. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) — For adolescent and young adult (AYA) women with a history of cancer, offspring have increased risk of any birth defect and specific defects, according to a study published online Oct. 4 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Caitlin C. Murphy, Ph.D., M.P.H., from UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, and colleagues examined birth defects in offspring of AYA women with a history of cancer. AYA women diagnosed with cancer between Jan. 1, 1999, and Dec. 31, 2015, were identified; data were linked with live birth and fetal death certificates to identify singleton births. Birth defects were ascertained in offspring through age 12 months. The risk of birth defects was estimated in offspring of AYA women and women without cancer (matched 3:1).

A total of 6,882 singleton births were identified in AYA women after diagnosis. The researchers found that the risk of any birth defect was higher in offspring of AYA women with versus those without cancer (6.0 versus 4.8 percent). Higher risks of eye or ear, heart and circulatory, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal defects were also seen.

“Together with the growing evidence on risk of cancer among children with birth defects, our findings may reflect the shared genetic and environmental origins of birth defects and cancer and underscore the multigenerational consequences of cancer diagnosed in adolescence and young adulthood,” the authors write. “Determining these shared origins may generate opportunities for prevention.”

Several authors disclosed ties to industry.

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