Abstract

The Risk of infant Cancer after using Neonatal Vitamin K

Author(s): Bakelu Firimosa

Background: In two recent trials, new-borns who received injectable vitamin K had a twice-as-high incidence of childhood cancer as compared to the general population. A link between the two would have substantial public health implications considering that this medicine is administered to almost all new-borns in the United States. Techniques: In a conclusive case-control study using data from the Cooperative Perinatal Task, a multicenter, ongoing investigation of pregnancy, delivery, and young, we examined the relationship between vitamin K and disease. 54,795 kids born between 1959 and 1966 were found to have 48 instances of cancer after their first day of life and before their ninth birthday. Each case child received one of five randomly chosen controls, whose most recent study visit was at or after the age of the case child who was diagnosed with cancer. To calculate the amount of vitamin K eaten, study forms and medical records were consulted. Results: The odds ratio was 0.84, with vitamin K administered to 68 percent of the 44 case children and 71 percent of the 226 controls for whom information was available. The 95% confidence interval is between 0.41 and 1.71. For leukemia, the likelihood ratio was 0.47, while it was 1.08 for other cancers. Sequential correction for potential confounding factors did not materially change the outcomes. Conclusions: We observed no association between vitamin K intake and an increased risk of any or all pediatric malignancies taken collectively, despite the possibility of a modest increase in risk. The benefits of vitamin K prophylaxis in avoiding hemorrhagic illness in new-borns have been extensively discussed. Until there is more proof that there is a connection between vitamin K and cancer, there is no reason to stop regularly providing vitamin K to new-borns.