Family history of cancer and seizures in young children with brain tumors: a report from the Childrens Cancer Group (United States and Canada)

Abstract

The occurrence of cancer and neurological disorders in first- and second-degree relatives of children in the United States and Canada diagnosed with brain tumor before age six was investigated. A pair-matched case-control study with 155 astrocytoma and 166 primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) cases was performed. Cases were identified through the Childrens Cancer Group. Controls were selected by random-digit dialing and matched to cases on age, race, and telephone area code and exchange. Childhood cancers were more common in PNET relatives compared with the general population (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] = 2.5, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] 1.1-4.8, P = 0.02) and with control relatives (odds ratio [OR] = 3.0, CI = 0.5-30, P = 0.29). For astrocytoma, nonsignificant excesses of brain tumor, leukemia/lymphoma, and childhood cancer occurred among case relatives compared with control relatives, but not compared with the general population. Astrocytoma cases were significantly more likely than controls to have a relative with seizures (OR = 2.5, CI = 1.2-4.9, P = 0.009), especially childhood seizures (OR = 3.4, CI = 1.2-12, P = 0.02), epilepsy (OR = 3.0, CI = 0.9-13, P = 0.08), and febrile convulsions (OR = 4.5, CI = 0.9-43, P = 0.07). A family history of stroke was not a risk factor for either type of brain tumor. These results suggest that some childhood brain tumors may result from a genetic susceptibility and that some risk factors may affect childhood astrocytoma and PNET differently.