Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association of perinatal experiences with risk of acute leukemia in childhood or adolescence

Systematic review and meta-analysis of 85 studies published up to October 2023 evaluated the association of perinatal factors with risk of acute leukemia in childhood or adolescence. The risk of acute leukemia and the lympoblastic subtype (ALL) was associated with birth weight higher than 4000 gram (OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.20-1.53 and 1.21; 1.08-1.34, respectively), maternal history of abortion (1.27; 1.12-1.43 and 1.24; 1.08-1.43, respectively) and maternal diabetes (1.30; 1.14-1.48 and 1.32; 1.16-1.50). In addition, an increased risk for ALL was also associated with maternal hypertension (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.05-1.16). The authors conclude that these findings suggest a potential role for perinatal factors in the development of acute leukemia in children (visual abstract).