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Prevalence of malignancy in children who received phototherapy during neonatal period
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Fatemeh Naghdi1    , Maryam Ilkhany2 |
1- Assistant Professor, Pediatrician, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran , dr_fatemeh_@yahoo.com
2- Medical Student, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran |
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Abstract: (13 Views) |
Background: Phototherapy is an effective treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, preventing severe complications such as kernicterus. However, concerns about its potential long-term effects, including an association with cancer in childhood, persist. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of cancer in children with a history of phototherapy during infancy and investigate related risk factors.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 2328 children aged 1 to 14 years who underwent phototherapy during infancy in Tehran Hospitals between 2024 and 2025. Data were collected through interviews with parents and medical record reviews. Variables included demographic information, phototherapy details (age at initiation, duration, number of sessions), and cancer diagnoses. Statistical analyses were done by chi-square tests and ANOVA.
Results: Among the participants, 37 children (1.6%) were diagnosed with cancer, while 2291 (98.4%) had no history of cancer. The most common cancer types were leukemia (12 cases, 0.5%) and neuroblastoma (12 cases, 0.5%), followed by lymphoma (9 cases, 0.4%) and brain tumors (4 cases, 0.2%). A significant association was found between the number of phototherapy sessions and cancer prevalence (p< 0.001); children diagnosed with cancer received a mean of 3.41 phototherapy sessions compared to 1.96 sessions in the non-cancer group. Additionally, the mean age at initiation of phototherapy was significantly lower in the cancer group (2.16 days) compared to the non-cancer group (13.87 days; p< 0.001). No significant associations were observed between cancer prevalence and demographic variables such as gender, parental education, occupation, or place of residence.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that a higher number of phototherapy sessions and earlier initiation of treatment may be associated with an increased risk of certain cancers in children |
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| Keywords: Phototherapy, Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, Cancer prevalence |
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Full-Text [PDF 783 kb]
(9 Downloads)
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Semi-pilot: Survey/Cross Sectional/Descriptive |
Subject:
Pediatric
Received: 2025/09/28 | Accepted: 2026/02/17 | Published: 2026/09/1
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