Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Grant Details

Grant Number: 5R01CA067263-07 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator: Shu, Xiao
Organization: Vanderbilt University Med Ctr
Project Title: Malignant Germ Cell Tumors in Children
Fiscal Year: 2001


Abstract

DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from investigator's abstract) The etiology of germ cell tumors (GCT) is poorly understood. Previous studies, mainly focused on testicular cancer and conducted among adult populations, have suggested that certain pre-natal exposures, such a maternal exogenous hormone use and high endogenous hormone level during pregnancy, and parental occupational exposures, may be associated with an increased risk of GCT. These adult studies, however, were limited because: a) the time between pre-natal exposures and GCT diagnosis is long and validation of pre-natal exposure was not feasible; b) post-natal exposures, particularly hormone-related factors and occupational exposures were usually not adjusted; c) only one type of GCT was studied in virtually all previous studies, which precluded a comparison of the risk factors for different types of GCT. This proposed study is designed to investigate specific and shared risk factors for three types of GCT (testicular, ovarian, and non-gonadal) and to test the following hypotheses: (1) Maternal exogenous hormone use and high endogenous estrogen level are associated with an increase risk of GCT; (2) Parental occupational exposures are related to the risk of GCT in offspring; (3) Expression of human long repetitive elements (L1Hs) defines a sub-group of GCT cases with specific etiologic, histologic and prognostic features; (4) Male GCT cases have a high frequency of constitutional chromosome abnormalities, and risk factors for GCT are different between GCTs with and without constitutional chromosome abnormalities. Utilizing the unique resources available through the Children's Cancer Group, this study aims to (1) recruit 615 childhood GCT cases and 836 frequency matched controls, (2) interview parents of all study subjects using a comprehensive questionnaire eliciting information on exposures of index child in pre-conception, pre-natal and post-natal periods, and validate maternal exposures during 6 months prior to and during index pregnancy through review of medical records, (3) collect tumor tissue of GCT cases for measuring L1Hs expression and tumor karyotype, and (4) examine the constitutional chromosome abnormalities for all GCT cases. This study represents the first large epidemiologic investigation to study risk factors of childhood GCT and to examine the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the development of GCT. The relatively short interval between exposures and GCT diagnosis will facilitate recall of pre-natal exposures and allow for validation of exposures. The relatively large sample size will provide sufficient statistical power to address the hypotheses being investigated.



Publications

Pediatric Germ Cell Tumors And Parental Infertility And Infertility Treatment: A Children's Oncology Group Report
Authors: Puumala S.E. , Ross J.A. , Wall M.M. , Spector L.G. .
Source: Cancer Epidemiology, 2011 Oct; 35(5), p. e25-31.
PMID: 21474408
Related Citations

Infant leukemia and congenital abnormalities: a Children's Oncology Group study.
Authors: Johnson K.J. , Roesler M.A. , Linabery A.M. , Hilden J.M. , Davies S.M. , Ross J.A. .
Source: Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 2010-07-15 00:00:00.0; 55(1), p. 95-9.
PMID: 20486175
Related Citations

Family History Of Cancer And Malignant Germ Cell Tumors In Children: A Report From The Children's Oncology Group
Authors: Poynter J.N. , Radzom A.H. , Spector L.G. , Puumala S. , Robison L.L. , Chen Z. , Ross J.A. , Shu X.O. .
Source: Cancer Causes & Control : Ccc, 2010 Feb; 21(2), p. 181-9.
PMID: 19842050
Related Citations

Pediatric Germ Cell Tumors And Maternal Vitamin Supplementation: A Children's Oncology Group Study
Authors: Johnson K.J. , Poynter J.N. , Ross J.A. , Robison L.L. , Shu X.O. .
Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention : A Publication Of The American Association For Cancer Research, Cosponsored By The American Society Of Preventive Oncology, 2009 Oct; 18(10), p. 2661-4.
PMID: 19755653
Related Citations

Paediatric Germ Cell Tumours And Congenital Abnormalities: A Children's Oncology Group Study
Authors: Johnson K.J. , Ross J.A. , Poynter J.N. , Linabery A.M. , Robison L.L. , Shu X.O. .
Source: British Journal Of Cancer, 2009-08-04 00:00:00.0; 101(3), p. 518-21.
PMID: 19603020
Related Citations

Secular trends in response rates for controls selected by random digit dialing in childhood cancer studies: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.
Authors: Bunin G.R. , Spector L.G. , Olshan A.F. , Robison L.L. , Roesler M. , Grufferman S. , Shu X.O. , Ross J.A. .
Source: American Journal Of Epidemiology, 2007-07-01 00:00:00.0; 166(1), p. 109-16.
EPub date: 2007-07-01 00:00:00.0.
PMID: 17456476
Related Citations

Expression Of Line-1 P40 Protein In Pediatric Malignant Germ Cell Tumors And Its Association With Clinicopathological Parameters: A Report From The Children's Oncology Group
Authors: Su Y. , Davies S. , Davis M. , Lu H. , Giller R. , Krailo M. , Cai Q. , Robison L. , Shu X.O. , Children's Oncology Group .
Source: Cancer Letters, 2007-03-18 00:00:00.0; 247(2), p. 204-12.
PMID: 16759797
Related Citations

In Utero Exposure To Female Hormones And Germ Cell Tumors In Children
Authors: Shankar S. , Davies S. , Giller R. , Krailo M. , Davis M. , Gardner K. , Cai H. , Robison L. , Shu X.O. .
Source: Cancer, 2006-03-01 00:00:00.0; 106(5), p. 1169-77.
PMID: 16421921
Related Citations

Environmental Exposure To Residential Pesticides, Chemicals, Dusts, Fumes, And Metals, And Risk Of Childhood Germ Cell Tumors
Authors: Chen Z. , Robison L. , Giller R. , Krailo M. , Davis M. , Davies S. , Shu X.O. .
Source: International Journal Of Hygiene And Environmental Health, 2006 Jan; 209(1), p. 31-40.
PMID: 16373200
Related Citations

Parental Occupational Exposure To Pesticides And Childhood Germ-cell Tumors
Authors: Chen Z. , Stewart P.A. , Davies S. , Giller R. , Krailo M. , Davis M. , Robison L. , Shu X.O. .
Source: American Journal Of Epidemiology, 2005-11-01 00:00:00.0; 162(9), p. 858-67.
PMID: 16192347
Related Citations

Risk Of Childhood Germ Cell Tumors In Association With Parental Smoking And Drinking
Authors: Chen Z. , Robison L. , Giller R. , Krailo M. , Davis M. , Gardner K. , Davies S. , Shu X.O. .
Source: Cancer, 2005-03-01 00:00:00.0; 103(5), p. 1064-71.
PMID: 15685619
Related Citations

Snrpn Methylation Patterns In Germ Cell Tumors As A Reflection Of Primordial Germ Cell Development
Authors: Bussey K.J. , Lawce H.J. , Himoe E. , Shu X.O. , Heerema N.A. , Perlman E.J. , Olson S.B. , Magenis R.E. .
Source: Genes, Chromosomes & Cancer, 2001 Dec; 32(4), p. 342-52.
PMID: 11746975
Related Citations

Chromosomes 1 And 12 Abnormalities In Pediatric Germ Cell Tumors By Interphase Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
Authors: Bussey K.J. , Lawce H.J. , Himoe E. , Shu X.O. , Suijkerbuijk R.F. , Olson S.B. , Magenis R.E. .
Source: Cancer Genetics And Cytogenetics, 2001 Mar; 125(2), p. 112-8.
PMID: 11369053
Related Citations



Back to Top