ArticleBMC cancer2023
Risk factors of childhood cancer in Armenia: a case-control study.
Article in BMC cancer, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prenatal exposure to medication and risk of childhood cancer - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cancer · 2025Pooled it
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionChildhood cancer (CC) is a leading cause of death among children aged 0-19 years worldwide. Each year, 400,000 new cases of CC are diagnosed globally. Given the between-country differences in CC incidence rates, types and trends, this study aimed to identify possible risk factors for CC in Armenia.
methodsWe used a case-control study design and enrolled participants from the only specialized pediatric hematology and oncology center in Armenia. Cases included patients ≤ 14 years old diagnosed and treated with a malignant disease between 2017 and 2020 in the centre. Controls included patients diagnosed and treated in the center during the same period for a non-malignant disease. We conducted telephone interviews with mothers of cases and controls. Independent risk factors of cancer were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
resultsOverall, 234 participants (117 cases, 117 controls) were included in the study. Based on the fitted model, maternal usage of folic acid during pregnancy was protective against CC, almost twice decreasing its odds (OR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.31-0.94). On the contrary, experiencing horrifying/terrifying event(s) during pregnancy (OR = 2.19; 95% CI: 1.18-4.07) and having induced abortions before getting pregnant with the given child (OR = 2.94; 95% CI: 1.45-5.96) were associated with higher odds for a child to develop cancer.
conclusionDespite the limited sample size of the study, significant modifiable risk factors for CC in Armenia were identified, all of which were linked to the period of pregnancy. The data from this study adds to the limited information available from etiological CC research throughout the world, and it will increase understanding of CC risk factors in settings with small populations and low resources. Although these findings may be helpful for future research, they should be taken with caution unless validated from further larger-scale studies.
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