Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30248472›Full record

ArticleCancer epidemiology2018

The association between sex and most childhood cancers is not mediated by birthweight.

Lindsay A Williams, Michaela Richardson, Rebecca D Kehm, Colleen C McLaughlin, Beth A Mueller, Eric J Chow, Logan G Spector

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer epidemiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 44 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Developmental determinants of male bias in medulloblastoma.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
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  9. Incidence and Mortality Rates for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Puerto Rican Hispanics, 2012-2016.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Lindsay A WilliamsDivision of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Michaela RichardsonDivision of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Rebecca D KehmDepartment of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, NY, United States.
Colleen C McLaughlinAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY, United States.
Beth A MuellerPublic Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States.
Eric J ChowPublic Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States.
Logan G SpectorDivision of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States; Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States. Electronic address: spector@umn.edu.
University of Minnesota · USFred Hutch Cancer Center · USAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences · USColumbia University · US

Funding

NAT'L CANCER PREV & CONTROL PROG: NAT'L BREAST & CERVICAL EARLY DETECTION PROG, U58DP000783 · DP · NYSDOH/HEALTH RESEARCH, INC. · PI WALLACE, BARBARA · 2007 to 2011
$53.0M
Translational Pediatric Cancer Epidemiology Research Training GrantT32CA099936 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI Logan G. Spector · 2004 to 2026
$5.1M
Minnesota Population Center Science and Technical CoreP2CHD041023 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI THERESA LOUISE OSYPUK · 2016 to 2026
$4.3M
SURVEILLANCE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND END RESULTSN01CN005230 · CN · FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER · PI THOMAS, DAVID B · 1990 to 1996
–
NCCDPHP CDC HHS U58 DP000783NCI NIH HHS N01 CN005230NCI NIH HHS T32 CA099936NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD041023
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMale sex is associated with an increased risk of childhood cancer as is high birthweight. Given that sex determination precedes birthweight we conducted a mediation analysis to estimate the direct effect of sex in association with childhood cancer tumor type with birthweight as the mediator.

methodsCases (n = 12,632) and controls (n = 64,439) (ages 0-14 years) were identified from population-based cancer and birth registries in Minnesota, New York, and Washington states (1970-2014). An inverse odds weighting (IOW) mediation analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) as the measure of association between sex and cancer.

resultsA significant indirect effect was observed for sex and lymphoid leukemia, mediated by birthweight (indirectOR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.02-1.04). We observed significant direct effects for male sex and lymphoid leukemia (directOR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.08-1.25), Hodgkin lymphoma (directOR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.22-1.81), Burkitt lymphoma (directOR: 5.02; 95% CI: 3.40-7.42), other non-Hodgkin lymphoma (directOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.18-1.70), intracranial embryonal tumors (directOR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.26-1.76), hepatoblastoma (directOR: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.40-2.59), and rhabdomyosarcoma (directOR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.19-1.81). There were also inverse associations for extracranial GCTs (directOR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.26-0.63) and thyroid carcinoma (directOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.25-0.50).

conclusionSignificant direct effects for sex and numerous childhood cancer types suggests sex-specific factors such as differences in gene expression from the autosomes or the X chromosome, rather than birthweight, may underlie sex differences in tumor risk.

Indexed as

Birth WeightSex CharacteristicsAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleNeoplasmsOdds RatioRisk FactorsBirthweightChildhood cancerMediation analysisSex-disparity

Identifiers

PMID30248472
PMCPMC6289597
OpenAlexW2890984286

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.