Grant: Operating Grant: Secondary Data Analysis for Cancer Prevention and Control

Very little is known about what causes cancer in children. Some researchers have questioned whether medical treatments such as newborn phototherapy can lead to cancer later during childhood. Phototherapy consists of blue light in the visible spectrum, and is commonly applied to the skin of infants at birth. Phototherapy is used to reduce newborn jaundice, or yellow skin, so as to prevent brain disorders. Phototherapy is generally considered safe, but evidence suggests that it can affect the genetic material of cells. However, effects in human children have been under tested. In this study, we will examine if phototherapy at birth increases the chance that a newborn develops cancer later in childhood. We will use a large dataset containing all infants born in hospitals in Quebec, Canada. Many infants in Quebec receive phototherapy. We will identify infants who received phototherapy and compare them with infants who did not receive phototherapy. We will determine if infants who received phototherapy had a higher chance of developing cancer before they turned 10 years old. This project will help determine if phototherapy is safe in infancy, or if pediatricians should be more cautious in the use of phototherapy to reduce the chance of cancer in children.