Prevalence of preterm birth and low birth weight slightly higher, but no difference seen in prevalence of birth defects
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of preterm birth is slightly higher among liveborn offspring of male adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYAs; aged 15 to 39 years), according to a study published online Jan. 3 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Caitlin C. Murphy, Ph.D., M.P.H., from UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, and colleagues examined childbirth and perinatal outcomes among male AYAs diagnosed with cancer between Jan. 1, 1995, and Dec. 31, 2015, and identified using the Texas Cancer Registry.
A total of 42,896 male AYAs were identified, among whom germ cell cancers were the most common (20.0 percent). The researchers identified 9,686 live births to 6,833 male AYAs after diagnosis. At 10 years after diagnosis, the cumulative incidence of live birth was 18.0 percent; the 10-year cumulative incidence differed by cancer type and was highest and lowest for thyroid and gastrointestinal cancers, respectively (27.6 and 9.6 percent, respectively). Compared with age- and race/ethnicity-matched men without cancer, liveborn offspring of the male AYAs with cancer had higher prevalence rates of preterm birth (8.9 versus 8.0 percent) and low birth weight (6.0 versus 5.3 percent). No difference was seen in the prevalence of birth defects.
“Our study represents one of the first population-based assessments of childbirth and adverse perinatal outcomes among male AYAs in the U.S. and underscores the importance of continued efforts to provide comprehensive reproductive health counseling for AYAs,” the authors write.
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
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