Background:    Childhood cancer may be related to maternal health in pregnancy. Maternal anemia is a common condition in pregnancy, especially in low-income countries, but the association between maternal anemia and childhood cancer has not been studied using a nationally representative population.

Objective:        To examine the potential relation between maternal anemia during pregnancy and childhood cancers in a population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

Methods:         We examined the relationship between maternal anemia and childhood cancer in Taiwan (N= 2160 cancer cases, 2,076,877 non-cases). Cases were taken from the National Cancer Registry, and non-cases were selected from national records. Using national health registries, we obtained maternal anemia diagnoses. We estimated the risks for childhood cancers using Cox proportional hazard analysis.

Results:           There was an increased risk of cancers in children born to mothers with nutritional anemia (Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.32, 95% CI 0.99, 1.76). Iron deficiency anemia (HR: 1.30, 95% CI 0.97-1.75) carried an increased risk, while non-nutritional anemias were not associated with childhood cancer risk.

Conclusion:     Our results provide additional support for screening for anemia during pregnancy. Adequate nutrition and vitamin supplementation may help to prevent some childhood cancer cases.