Danish Cancer Institute, shared on LinkedIn:
“Could medications taken during pregnancy affect a child’s risk of developing cancer?
This is what Johnni Hansen and Marie Hargreave at the Danish Cancer Institute will investigate in a new research project funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF).
Prenatal Exposure to Immunomodulating Medications and Risk of Childhood Cancer: A Nordic Population-Based Cohort Study
The project looks at whether medications used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases during pregnancy are linked to childhood cancer, particularly leukaemia and brain tumours.
Many women need these medications during pregnancy, but we still know surprisingly little about their possible long-term effects on children’s health. This can leave women and their doctors facing difficult decisions about treatment.
Johnni Hansen and Marie Hargreave will investigate whether children exposed to these medications before birth have a different risk of developing cancer, and whether any differences might be linked to the medication or the mother’s underlying disease.
The researchers will use health registry data from approximately 4.5 million children across four Nordic countries. Childhood cancer is fortunately rare, so studying such a large population is important to detect possible differences in risk.
The study could bring us closer to understanding some of the factors that contribute to childhood cancer. It may also help answer questions that have been difficult for doctors and pregnant women to navigate because of limited evidence.
And importantly, the results will be valuable whether they point to a possible risk or provide reassurance. Either way, they could give women and their doctors a better basis for deciding on treatment during pregnancy.”
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