Children born prematurely by caesarean section have an increased risk of subsequent hospitalization for asthma attacksChildren who survive a soft tissue sarcoma exposed to a greater risk of second cancer Children treated for soft tissue sarcoma have six times greater risk of developing a second cancer in adulthood, compared to the general population, say the authors of a study published in the journal "Cancer". With improvements in cancer treatment over the past two decades, children with soft tissue sarcoma are living longer, which puts them at risk of developing a second cancer. Several investigative work showed that these children have a higher rate than the general population of developing a second cancer risk, but the estimates for this increased risk are highly variable, ranging from a factor of 3 to a factor 13. In addition, few researchers have specifically assessed this risk depending on the type of soft tissue sarcoma or type of second cancer. Randi J. Cohen and his colleagues at the National Cancer Institute evaluated data from 1499 children included in the largest U.S. database of cancers, Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute to quantify the risk in patients underwent a soft tissue sarcoma of developing a second cancer by site, initial therapy, histologic type of the first sarcoma, age at diagnosis of the first cancer and sex. According to the results, the survivors of a soft tissue sarcoma had a six times higher risk of developing a second cancer, compared to the general population. In absolute terms, the risk was low, however, the authors point out, since about 3% of children treated for this type of cancer are likely to develop a new cancer 20 years after initial diagnosis. The relative risk was higher during the first five years after stopping treatment. Women were slightly more exposed to risk than men, but after exclusion of sex-related cancers (breast and genital tract), the researchers said. They have also found that the risk of second cancer was increased for all subtypes of childhood soft tissue sarcoma, with estimates ranging from a factor of 6 for fiibromateux neoplasms a factor of 8 for rhabdomyosarcoma. In addition, it was also higher in children treated with radiotherapy or chemotherapy and radio for those treated with surgery alone. Finally, the study confirms the excess of leukemia and secondary sarcomas in children who have survived a first soft tissue sarcoma, but also that of melanoma and cancers of the breast and oral cavity. The authors conclude that "the effects of treatment and genetic factors jointly contribute to the increased risk of second cancers in this series of children with soft tissue sarcoma."

Children born prematurely by caesarean section have an increased risk of hospitalization for acute severe asthma between the ages of six and twelve risk, shows a study published in the "Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology."
Various studies have suggested that cesarean delivery alter the intestinal bacterial flora of infants, making it more sensitive to allergens and promoting the further development of asthma, remember Dr. Jason Debley and colleagues from the University of Washington in Seattle.

However, in most of these studies, the results have not been adjusted to take into account the potential influence of other factors, such as prematurity.

U.S. researchers have evaluated the impact of cesarean delivery on the risk of hospitalization for asthma in children born at term and in preterm infants. Their analysis included 2,028 children aged six to twelve years who were hospitalized at least once for asthma between 1987 and 1994 and 8292 children "controls" the same age as the young patients.

It thus appeared that the proportion of children born by caesarean section was significantly higher among children hospitalized for asthma than in the control group (16.5% against 13.2%). Caesarean section seems therefore linked to a slightly increased risk of hospitalization, but significant 20%.

However, the cluster analysis shows that this association remained significant in children born prematurely, with an increased risk of 90%, but not in children born at term.

In addition, the researchers did not reveal significant differences between children born by caesarean section with premature rupture of membranes and maternal those without breaking. However, the risk of intra-amniotic microbial colonization is high in case of premature rupture of membranes.

According to these results, so we can not reject the hygiene hypothesis, that children are less exposed to infectious agents (due to excessive hygiene, the overuse of antibiotics and routine immunization), plus the maturation of the immune system is directed towards the development of allergic-type responses, including asthma part.

For the authors, it remains to determine the genetic and environmental factors involved in the association between birth and childhood asthma, the authors conclude.