A new study from Sweden has found a link between planned caesarean sections and an increased risk of childhood cancer. Should we be concerned? (Photo: Tatyana Dyuvbanova, Getty Images)
A new study has found that babies born by planned caesarean section have a 21% higher risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) than babies born vaginally.
The findings of the Swedish study support previous studies that also found a link between the risk of childhood acute leukemia and cesarean section. More recent studies, including this one, have linked much of that risk to planned cesarean sections. In this study, planned cesarean sections were defined as those performed before labor began.
Crucially, however, the overall risk of acute leukemia (ALL) and childhood cancer remains relatively low, noted Joseph Wiemels, a professor in the Department of Population and Public Health at the University of Southern California who was not involved in the study. In the United States, leukemia is diagnosed in about 4.8 out of 100,000 children each year. So while “the relative risk [of ALL] is significantly higher” in children born by planned C-section, Wiemels cautioned that overall, it “still remains relatively low.”
You might be interested
-
The incidence of some early-stage cancers is increasing. Why?
-
Chemotherapy can make healthy blood cells 'look old'
Sourse: www.livescience.com
