Birth defects linked to childhood cancer: study

 

Andrew Mekhail

 Children born with a range of birth defects are at an increased risk of developing childhood cancers, especially during the first year of their life, a study finds. These cancers, though, are generally rare and the study says there is a correlation, not a causation between the two. Researchers calculated that children that were born with birth defects were three times more likely to develop a childhood cancer than those without the birth defects. The common cancers included: leukemias, eye and soft-tissue cancers, as well as ovarian and testicular cancers. "This research is exciting in providing clues for the genetic links of childhood cancer which can perhaps in the future lead to new and better therapies", an MD from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California.

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/birth-defects-linked-to-childhood-cancer-study