ArticleBMJ open2013
Early life bereavement and childhood cancer: a nationwide follow-up study in two countries.
Article in BMJ open, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychological Stress and Cellular Aging in Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2019Pooled it
- Physical and psychosomatic health outcomes in people bereaved by suicide compared to people bereaved by other modes of death: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2017Pooled it
- Early maternal separation accelerates the progression of endometriosis in adult mice.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveChildhood cancer is a leading cause of child deaths in affluent countries, but little is known about its aetiology. Psychological stress has been suggested to be associated with cancer in adults; whether this is also seen in childhood cancer is largely unknown. We investigated the association between bereavement as an indicator of severe childhood stress exposure and childhood cancer, using data from Danish and Swedish national registers.
designPopulation-based cohort study.
settingDenmark and Sweden.
participantsAll live-born children born in Denmark between 1968 and 2007 (n=2 729 308) and in Sweden between 1973 and 2006 (n=3 395 166) were included in this study. Exposure was bereavement by the death of a close relative before 15 years of age. Follow-up started from birth and ended at the first of the following: date of a cancer diagnosis, death, emigration, day before their 15th birthday or end of follow-up (2007 in Denmark, 2006 in Sweden). OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates and HRs for all childhood cancers and specific childhood cancers.
resultsA total of 1 505 938 (24.5%) children experienced bereavement at some point during their childhood and 9823 were diagnosed with cancer before the age of 15 years. The exposed children had a small (10%) increased risk of childhood cancer (HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.17). For specific cancers, a significant association was seen only for central nervous system tumours (HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.28).
conclusionsOur data suggest that psychological stress in early life is associated with a small increased risk of childhood cancer.
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