Evidence of spatial clustering of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases in Greater Mexico City:

Frontiers in Oncology · 2024 · Unclear · Low evidence

← Research stream

UnclearLow evidencePaper 253

Using Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic, eight spatial clusters of childhood ALL were detected; 408/1054 (38.7%) cases were within these clusters. The main cluster had RR=1.61 (p<0.0001), with similar results for the other seven clusters. Proximity between c…

Study snapshot

PublicationFrontiers in Oncology · 2024

Study typecase_control

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Evidence of spatial clustering of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases in Greater Mexico City: report from the Mexican Inter-Institutional Group for the identification of the causes of childhood leukemia Duarte-Rodríguez DA, Flores-Lujano J, McNally RJQ, Pérez-Saldivar ML, Jiménez-Hernández E, Martín- Trejo JA, Espinoza-Hernández LE, Medina-Sanson A, Paredes-Aguilera R, Merino-Pasaye LE, Velázquez- Aviña MM, Torres-Nava JR, Espinosa-Elizondo RM, Amador-Sánchez R, Dosta-Herrera JJ, Mondragón- García JA, González-Ulibarri JE, Martínez-Silva SI, Espinoza-Anrubio G, Paz-Bribiesca MM, Salcedo-Lozada P, Landa-García RÁ, Ramírez-Colorado R, Hernández-Mora L, Santamaría-Ascencio M, López-Loyola A, Godoy-Esquivel AH, García-López LR, Anguiano-Ávalos AI, Mora-Rico K, Castañeda-Echevarría A, Rodríguez-Jiménez R, Cibrian-Cruz JA, Solís-Labastida KA, Cárdenas-Cardos R, López-Santiago N, Flores- Villegas LV, Peñaloza-González JG, González-Ávila AI, Sánchez-Ruiz M, Rivera-Luna R, Rodríguez- Villalobos LR, Hernández-Pérez F, Olvera-Durán JÁ, García-Cortés LR, Mata-Rocha M, Sepúlveda-Robles OA, Bekker-Méndez VC, Jiménez-Morales S, Meléndez-Zajgla J, Rosas-Vargas H, Vega E, Núñez-Enríquez JC, Mejía-Aranguré JM. Evidence of spatial clustering of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases in Greater Mexico City: report from the Mexican Inter-Institutional Group for the identification of the causes of childhood leukemia. Front Oncol. 2024 Feb 14;14:1304633. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1304633 Abstract Background: A heterogeneous geographic distribution of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases has been described, possibly, related to the presence of different environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to explore the geographical distribution of childhood ALL cases in Greater Mexico City (GMC). Methods: A population-based case-control study was conducted. Children <18 years old, newly diagnosed with ALL and residents of GMC were included. Controls were patients without leukemia recruited from second-level public hospitals, frequency-matched by sex, age, and health institution with the cases. The residence address where the patients lived during the last year before diagnosis (cases) or the interview (controls) was used for geolocation. Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic was used to detect spatial clusters (SCs). Relative risks (RR), associated p-value and number of cases included for each cluster were obtained. Results: A total of 1054 cases with ALL were analyzed. Of these, 408 (38.7%) were distributed across eight SCs detected. A relative risk of 1.61 (p<0.0001) was observed for the main cluster. Similar results were noted for the remaining seven ones. Additionally, a proximity between SCs, electrical installations and petrochemical facilities was observed. Conclusions: The identification of SCs in certain regions of GMC suggest the possible role of environmental factors in the etiology of childhood ALL. Open access paper: frontiersin.org

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecase_control

Effect directionunclear

PopulationChildren <18 years old residing in Greater Mexico City; cases newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia; controls patients without leukemia from second-level public hospitals

Sample size1054

Exposureresidence during the last year before diagnosis (cases) or before interview (controls)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Spatial clustering of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases
Relative risk (RR) for detected spatial clusters

Limitations

Specific environmental exposures were not quantified in the abstract (only proximity observations reported).
No EMF measurement details (frequency, field strength, or SAR) provided in the abstract.
Control sample size and effect estimates comparing cases vs controls are not reported in the abstract beyond spatial cluster RRs.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "case_control",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "electrical installations and petrochemical facilities (proximity observation)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "residence during the last year before diagnosis (cases) or before interview (controls)"
  },
  "population": "Children <18 years old residing in Greater Mexico City; cases newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia; controls patients without leukemia from second-level public hospitals",
  "sample_size": 1054,
  "outcomes": [
    "Spatial clustering of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases",
    "Relative risk (RR) for detected spatial clusters"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic, eight spatial clusters of childhood ALL were detected; 408/1054 (38.7%) cases were within these clusters. The main cluster had RR=1.61 (p<0.0001), with similar results for the other seven clusters. Proximity between clusters, electrical installations, and petrochemical facilities was observed.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Specific environmental exposures were not quantified in the abstract (only proximity observations reported).",
    "No EMF measurement details (frequency, field strength, or SAR) provided in the abstract.",
    "Control sample size and effect estimates comparing cases vs controls are not reported in the abstract beyond spatial cluster RRs."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "acute lymphoblastic leukemia",
    "childhood cancer",
    "spatial clustering",
    "Kulldorff spatial scan statistic",
    "Greater Mexico City",
    "environmental factors",
    "electrical installations",
    "petrochemical facilities"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Mentions proximity to electrical installations, but no occupational setting is described; relevance is weak."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1304633
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library