The effect of prenatal factors in improvement of gastric cancer

Introduction and Aim: There is some evidence that prenatal factors can play role indevelopment of gastric cancer. Because of increase in germ cell mutation as an outcome ofincreased paternal age and increase in frequency of chromosomal aberration with high maternalage, higher parental age has become a remarkable subject. Nevertheless, results of previousepidemiological studies have been inconsistent. We investigated some prenatal factors such ashigh parental age, and some sociodemographic, environmental, familial and reproductive factorsthat may have effect on development of gastric cancer, in this case-control study.Materials and Methods: In this study, 150 in or outpatients under treatment diagnosed as gastriccancer in Department of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical Universityand 300 control patients without any cancer who were examined in Department of GeneralInternal Medicine included, between the dates May 2009 and April 2010. Definitive diagnosticresults and dates of diagnosis of patients were determined from pathological reports. Patients andcontrols were performed the same questionnaire. In questionnaire, groups were asked the parentalage at birth, smoking habits of parents, and some sociodemographic, environmental, familial andreproductive traits that may play role in development of gastric cancer. A 35 item diet surveyexamining average consumption of some food and drinks in last one year was conducted in orderto determine diet habits of study groups. The compatibility of the data obtained by measurementwith normal distribution was investigated using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for each group andthe data convenient with normal distribution were compared with student t test, for non-normaldistribution variables were used Mann-Whitney U test. Analysis of data obtained by count wasdone with chi-square test. Statistical significance was assumed at a level of P < 0.05. Then,logistic regression analysis was done to investigate the independent factors affecting ondevelopment of gastric cancer. The results was measured by the odds ratios with 95% confidenceinterval.Results: In all educational group, education level of patients was found to be lower than thecontrol group (p=0,033). Monthly income of patients were detected lower than the control group(p< 0.001). In this study, in people with cancer history in their firs degree relatives have morerisk of gastric cancer than the others (p< 0.001). Close relatives of patients with gastric cancer ,have increased risk of gastric and other cancer types (p<0.001 ve p<0,001). When comparedwith the control group, the patients group with gastric cancer had lesser weight and BMI(p<0,001 ve p<0,001). A blood group was identified to be seen in higher percentage in gastriccancer patients. Accordingly to this study, maternal age of patients group at birth were higherthan the control group (p= 0.001). The mean paternal age at birth was 33.80 ± 8.36 in patientsgroup and 30.57 ± 8.76 in control groups. Accordingly, paternal mean age at birth of patientswas higher when compared with the control group (p<0.001). In 44% of the patient group and 32% of control group, mother age at birth were 30 and older ( p= 0.001). 64% of the patients and45,7 % of control group, had father age at birth were 30 and older (p<0.001). In this study,women with menarche age over 15 years, have greater risk of developing gastric cancer(p<0,001). Gastric cancer patients are detected to have earlier age of menapause (p=0,001) .Accordingly to this study, male patients with gastric cancer have a children at an earlier age thanin the control group (p= 0.0019).When the dietary factors are examined , pickle an salted foods (p<0,001 ve p<0,001),meat and eggs (p=0,048) , animal oil (p<0.001) consumption are found more by patients withgastric cancer than the control group. However, bread and cereal products (p<0,001), milk anddairy products (p<0,001) , orange juice( p=0.022) , tea and coffee (p=0.004 ve p=0.002)consumption are found less by patients with gastric cancer than the control group. Pickleconsumption is an independent risk factor for gastric cancer and risk is 11,41 fold higher thanothers.It was determined that brushing teeth of patients with gastric cancer are higher than thecontrol group (p=0.022). In this study, it was detected that excessive hot food habits increases therisk of gastric cancer (p<0,001). It was determined that barbecued meat consumption increasethe risk of gastric cancer (p<0,001).In this study, when the gastric cancer patient is compared the control group, age(p=0,669), sex (p=0,886), family type (p=0.13), marital status (p=0.734), maternal smoking(p=0,554), paternal smoking (p=0.071) , size at diagnosis (p=0,307), kinship between mother andfather (p=0.401), mean gestational age at firs birth (p=0,831), mean age of menopause (p=0.55),having children or not being (p=0,490), number of children (p=0,419) , daily physical activity (p=0.501), vegetable and fruit consumption (p=0,174), alcohol consumption (p=1,000) , number ofteeth (p= 0.601) and eat meal in the same or seperate plates (p=0,091) aren?t found to be a riskfactor for gastric cancer.Conclusions: Our data supports the studies that emphasize that some prenatal factors such ashigh parental age at birth and smoker mother may be risk factors for some cancers for children.This is the first study that reports that having high parental age at birth and exposure to smokeprenatally increase the risk for colon cancer. However, more comprehensive studies were needed