Birth Characteristics and Risk of Early-Onset Synovial Sarcoma
Open Access
- 1 June 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
- Vol. 29 (6), 1162-1167
- https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-20-0093
Abstract
Background: Synovial sarcoma is a rare cancer with peak incidence in the young adult period. Despite poor outcomes of this aggressive cancer, there is little epidemiologic research addressing its etiology. Methods: We collected birth characteristic data on synovial sarcoma cases born during 1978-2015 and diagnosed during 1988-2015 in California (n = 244), and 12,200 controls frequency-matched on year of birth. We also constructed a dataset of cancer cases in siblings of sarcoma subjects to assess familial risk. Results: In multivariable logistic regression analyses, synovial sarcoma was more frequent in Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic whites [OR, 1.48; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-2.08]. Higher birth weight was a risk factor in Hispanics; each 500 g increase in birth weight was associated with a 22% increase in disease risk (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.00-1.48). Also, a strong role for birth order was suggested, with highest risk for the first born (second child compared with first: OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.44-0.84; third or later compared with first: OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36-0.77). Siblings of patients with synovial sarcoma did not display elevated cancer incidence, suggesting the low likelihood that strong familial predisposition alleles play a significant role in this disease. Conclusions: The associations with birth weight and birth order suggest that nutritional, developmental, and environmental factors may play a role in the etiology of synovial sarcoma. Impact: Further epidemiologic research on synovial sarcoma should evaluate epigenetic and developmental mechanisms and the formation of the archetypical t(X;18) translocation that defines this disease.Funding Information
- NCI ((R01CA175737)
- California Department of Public Health
- NCI's Surveillance
- Epidemiology, and End Results Program (U58DP003862-01)
- California Department of Public Health
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