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Using primary teeth and archived dried spots for exposomic studies in children: Exploring new paths in the environmental epidemiology of pediatric cancer
Author(s) -
Lupo Philip J.,
Petrick Lauren M.,
Hoang Thanh T.,
Janitz Amanda E.,
Marcotte Erin L.,
Schraw Jeremy M.,
Arora Manish,
Scheurer Michael E.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.202100030
Subject(s) - pediatric cancer , disease , etiology , medicine , cancer , epidemiology , childhood cancer , environmental health , pathology
It is estimated that 300,000 children 0–14 years of age are diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year. While the absolute risk of cancer in children is low, it is the leading cause of death due to disease in children in high‐income countries. In spite of this, the etiologies of pediatric cancer are largely unknown. Environmental exposures have long been thought to play an etiologic role. However, to date, there are few well‐established environmental risk factors for pediatric malignancies, likely due to technical barriers in collecting biological samples prospectively in pediatric populations for direct measurements. In this review, we propose the use of novel or underutilized biospecimens (dried blood spots and teeth) and molecular approaches for exposure assessment (epigenetics, metabolomics, and somatic mutational profiles). Future epidemiologic studies of pediatric cancer should incorporate novel exposure assessment methodologies, data on molecular features of tumors, and a more complete assessment of gene‐environment interactions.