About Us
- The causes of pediatric cancers are by and large unknown in greater than 95% of the cases. There are estimated 13,000 new pediatric cancers diagnosed in the US annually. In less than 5% of cases is there a history of exposure to either radiation or chemotherapy or an underlying genetic syndrome to explain a possible reason for tumor development.
- We are inviting families to take part in a research study that will help us better understand the risk factors for childhood cancer. To do this, we are studying and comparing genes of people with childhood cancer and genes of their parents and siblings. We are also administering a comprehensive, family-history questionnaire in order compile data on possible environmental causes
Information we learn in this study may help to improve screening for childhood cancers in the future. This information may one day lead to improved cancer screening tests and maybe prevent cancer from developing in these children.
Helpful links
- Childhood Cancer and Environment” project from the PEHSU
- Pediatric Environmental Health e-Toolkit with information about specific exposures that children may experience and how to avoid them
Study Team
Michael Scheurer, Ph.D., M.P.H. – Principal Investigator
Sidney L. and Donald F. Faust Chair of Pediatric Cancer Epidemiology at Texas Children’s Cancer Center
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine
Director, Center for Epidemiology and Population Health
Associate Director for Excellence in Cancer Equity, Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Texas Children’s Hospital / Baylor College of Medicine
Philip Lupo, Ph.D., M.P.H. -Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine
Endowed Chair in Molecular Epidemiology, Texas Children’s Hospital
Director, Epidemiology and Population Sciences Program, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center
Chair, Children’s Oncology Group Epidemiology Committee
Your family is eligible to participate if the patient:
- Was diagnosed with a childhood cancer, benign tumor, or histiocytic disease.
- Was less than 21 years old at diagnosis
- Can understand and speak English or Spanish
This study is funded by Baylor College of Medicine.
How to participate –
- Step 1 – Let us know about you
- Complete an online form to screen for eligibility and enroll in the registry
- Step 2 – Sample collection
- We’ll send a packet with saliva collection kits for you and any other eligible family members. The packet will also include a form requesting authorization to release medical records and any stored tumor sample.
- If there are any saved baby teeth that the patient has lost and is willing to contribute those teeth to the study, a kit will be mailed to your home with instructions on how to mail the teeth back to the research team.
- Step 3 – Complete a survey
- A survey will be emailed to you once we receive your signed consent forms. This survey will have some general health history questions about your family.
Peckham EC, Scheurer ME, Danysh HE, Lubega J, Langlois PH, Lupo PJ. Residential Radon Exposure and Incidence of Childhood Lymphoma in Texas, 1995-2011. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015 Sep 25;12(10):12110-26. doi:10.3390/ijerph121012110. PMID: 26404336; PMCID: PMC4626958.
Scheurer ME, Lupo PJ, Schüz J, Spector LG, Wiemels JL, Aplenc R, Gramatges MM, Schiffman JD, Pombo-de-Oliveira MS, Yang JJ, Heck JE, Metayer C, Orjuela-Grimm MA, Bona K, Aristizabal P, Austin MT, Rabin KR, Russell HV, Poplack DG. An overview of disparities in childhood cancer: Report on the Inaugural Symposium on Childhood Cancer Health Disparities, Houston, Texas, 2016. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2018 Mar;35(2):95-110. doi: 10.1080/08880018.2018.1464088. Epub 2018 May 8. PMID: 29737912; PMCID: PMC6685736.
Danysh HE, Zhang K, Mitchell LE, Scheurer ME, Lupo PJ. Maternal residential proximity to major roadways at delivery and childhood central nervous system tumors. Environ Res. 2016 Apr;146:315-22. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2016.01.012.Epub 2016 Jan 20. PMID: 26802618.
Peckham-Gregory EC, Ton M, Rabin KR, Danysh HE, Scheurer ME, Lupo PJ. Maternal Residential Proximity to Major Roadways and the Risk of Childhood Acute Leukemia: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Texas, 1995-2011. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Jun 7;16(11):2029. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16112029. PMID: 31181608; PMCID: PMC6603856.
Danysh HE, Mitchell LE, Zhang K, Scheurer ME, Lupo PJ. Differences in environmental exposure assignment due to residential mobility among children with a central nervous system tumor: Texas, 1995-2009. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2017 Jan;27(1):41-46. doi: 10.1038/jes.2015.63. Epub 2015 Oct 7. PMID: 26443468.
Lupo PJ, Nousome D, Okcu MF, Chintagumpala M, Scheurer ME. Maternal variation in EPHX1, a xenobiotic metabolism gene, is associated with childhood medulloblastoma: an exploratory case-parent triad study. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2012 Nov;29(8):679-85. doi: 10.3109/08880018.2012.722747. Epub 2012 Sep 20. PMID: 22994552; PMCID: PMC3855527.
Lupo PJ, Lee LJ, Okcu MF, Bondy ML, Scheurer ME. An exploratory case-only analysis of gene-hazardous air pollutant interactions and the risk of childhood medulloblastoma. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2012 Oct;59(4):605-10. doi: 10.1002/pbc.24105. Epub 2012 Mar 2. PMID: 22389292; PMCID: PMC3371277.
Lupo PJ, Dietz DJ, Kamdar KY, Scheurer ME. Gene-environment interactions and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: exploring the role of maternal folate genes and folic Acid fortification. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2014 Mar;31(2):160-8. doi: 10.3109/08880018.2013.825684. Epub 2013 Oct 2. PMID:24087922.
Lupo, P. J., Petrick, L. M., Hoang, T. T., Janitz, A. E., Marcotte, E. L., Schraw, J. M., Arora, M., & Scheurer, M. E. (2021). Using primary teeth and archived dried spots for exposomic studies in children: Exploring new paths in the environmental epidemiology of pediatric cancer. BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, 43(9), e2100030. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.202100030
Shakeel, O., Lupo, P. J., Strong, S., Arora, M., & Scheurer, M. E. (2022). A brief review of the current knowledge on environmental toxicants and risk of pediatric cancers. Pediatric hematology and oncology, 39(3), 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/08880018.2021.1979147