Risk for Early-Onset CRC Increased in Women Born Via C-Section

TUESDAY, May 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Birth by cesarean delivery is associated with early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) only in female offspring, according to a study published online April 27 in JAMA Network Open.

Yin Cao, Sc.D., M.P.H., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues prospectively examined the association between birth by cesarean delivery and early-onset CRC (between 18 and 49 years of age from 1991 to 2017) among offspring. The analysis included 564 adults diagnosed with early-onset CRC and 2,180 matched controls.

The researchers found that compared with vaginal delivery, birth by cesarean delivery was not associated with early-onset CRC in the overall population (adjusted odds ratio, 1.28; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.79) when adjusting for matching and maternal and pregnancy-related factors. There was a positive association seen for female offspring (adjusted odds ratio, 1.62; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.01 to 2.60); however, no association was observed for male offspring (adjusted odds ratio, 1.05; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.64 to 1.72).

"In this study, females born by cesarean delivery had greater odds of early-onset CRC, suggesting that early-life gut dysbiosis may contribute to early-onset CRC in females," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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