Can Drinking During Pregnancy Raise the Risk of Childhood Leukemia?
Results from the few studies that have examined the association between alcohol use during pregnancy and childhood leukemia are conflicting. Researchers in France aimed to clarify this association through a case-control study of children hospitalized with either newly diagnosed acute leukemia (n=280) or for a disease other than cancer or a birth defect (n=288). Mothers of the studied children completed interviews that covered alcohol use during pregnancy and a range of other topics (e.g., medical history, family history of cancer). • Any maternal alcohol use, versus abstinence, during pregnancy was significantly associated with childhood acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) and acute nonlymphoid leukemia (ANLL) in analyses adjusted for potential confounders (odds ratios 2.0 and 2.6, respectively). • Results were similar for each alcoholic beverage type. • Maternal smoking during pregnancy was not significantly associated with childhood leukemia. Drinking 4–8 cups of coffee per day, however, a
