Association of rib anomalies and childhood cancers.

BACKGROUND: Congenital anomalies have been found more often in children with cancer than in those without. Rib abnormalities (RAs) have been associated with childhood cancer; however, studies have differed in the type of RAs and cancers implicated. METHODS: Rib abnormalities were assessed predominantly by X-ray in a hospital-based case-control study. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the number of cases vs controls with RAs after controlling for age and sex, specifically for acute myelogenous leukaemia, renal tumours, and hepatoblastoma. CONCLUSION: The results of this study support previous reports that there is an association of rib anomalies with childhood cancer.