Korean Study Finds No Overall Childhood Cancer Link with Maternal Diabetes, Highlights Urinary Tract Cancer Risk
A recent nationwide cohort study in Korea has found no statistically significant association between maternal diabetes and the overall risk of childhood cancer. The study, which analyzed data from over half a million Korean births, did identify a higher relative risk of urinary tract cancer in children born to mothers with diabetes, although the absolute risk remains low. The research utilized data from the Korean National Health Insurance database, covering 97% of Koreans, and followed 549,851 singleton infants born between 2003 and 2004 until the end of 2021. Adjustments were made for various maternal and neonatal factors, and while the study found an 81% increased relative risk of urinary tract cancer, the absolute increase was minimal, with only 37 more cases per 100,000 children. The study calls for replication of these findings in other populations to confirm the results.