Maternal infection during pregnancy and the risk of childhood cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Maternal STIs, GUTIs, and viral infections during pregnancy are associated with increased risk of CC, with GUTIs and viral infections specifically associated with increased risk of leukaemia. Targeted prevention strategies towards specific infections during pregnancy may protect against CC. Large-scale prospective studies with precise infection assessment and stratification by pathogen-type, and mechanistic considerations are needed to deepen knowledge in this area.
Authors
- Rajini Nagrani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1708-2319)
- Manuela Marron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9658-1855)
- W Ahrens
- Lara Kim Brackmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0484-9891)
- Loviisa Mulanje
- Alicia Lübtow
- Hajo Zeeb
Institutions
- University of Bremen (DE)
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Medicine
- Published
- 2026-01-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04625-1
- Primary Topic
- Cancer Risks and Factors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00