The Childhood Cancer and Leukemia International Consortium: expanding global collaborations for childhood cancer research and prevention
1
Public Health, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
2
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
3
Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional del Cáncer, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
4
Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahram Canadian University, Giza Governorate, Egypt
5
División de Investigación en Salud, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Mexico City, Mexico
6
Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, United States
7
Pediatrics and Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Childhood cancers are devastating for affected children and families. Worldwide, they account for more than 11 million disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) annually [1]. Evidence on aetiology is often limited by small sample sizes.
METHODS:
The Childhood Cancer and Leukemia International Consortium (CLIC) was established in 2007. We pool epidemiologic studies of childhood cancers, increasing statistical power to accelerate knowledge on aetiological factors [2]. CLIC now includes 52 studies across 21 countries, with individual-level data from 155,000 children with leukaemias, central nervous system tumours, embryonal tumours or other rare cancers; and > 5.4 million controls. Data comes from questionnaires, health registries and DNA.
RESULTS:
CLIC has published 25 papers so far. Selected findings include protective effects of maternal prenatal vitamin and folic acid use for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL): odds ratios (OR) 0.85 (95% CI 0.78–0.91) and 0.80 (0.71–0.89), respectively [3]. Some immune-related exposures were associated with decreased risks of ALL, including breastfeeding (BF): OR 0.88, CI 0.81–0.96 for BF 4-6 months; 0.85, 0.79-0.92 for BF 7-12 months; [4], daycare (0.77, 0.71–0.94), early childhood infections (0.88, 0.79–0.98), and first-year contact with farm animals (OR 0.65, 0.50–0.85) [5,6]. Increased risks of ALL were found for large-for-gestational-age infants (OR 1.21, 1.11-1.32) [7], pre-labour caesarean delivery (1.23, 1.04–1.47) [8] and home pesticide use during pregnancy [9]. Parental occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields was not associated with childhood leukaemias [10].
CONCLUSIONS:
CLIC has surmounted multiple challenges across international borders. Harmonised, multi-country pooling of individual-level data can generate actionable evidence on modifiable risk factors for rare childhood cancers. We continue to address gaps in knowledge and to foster collaborations with researchers from additional countries with compatible data. CLIC is producing new pooled analyses on additional risk factors and rare childhood cancers, while expanding to include genomic and germline genetic data.
Childhood cancers are devastating for affected children and families. Worldwide, they account for more than 11 million disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) annually [1]. Evidence on aetiology is often limited by small sample sizes.
METHODS:
The Childhood Cancer and Leukemia International Consortium (CLIC) was established in 2007. We pool epidemiologic studies of childhood cancers, increasing statistical power to accelerate knowledge on aetiological factors [2]. CLIC now includes 52 studies across 21 countries, with individual-level data from 155,000 children with leukaemias, central nervous system tumours, embryonal tumours or other rare cancers; and > 5.4 million controls. Data comes from questionnaires, health registries and DNA.
RESULTS:
CLIC has published 25 papers so far. Selected findings include protective effects of maternal prenatal vitamin and folic acid use for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL): odds ratios (OR) 0.85 (95% CI 0.78–0.91) and 0.80 (0.71–0.89), respectively [3]. Some immune-related exposures were associated with decreased risks of ALL, including breastfeeding (BF): OR 0.88, CI 0.81–0.96 for BF 4-6 months; 0.85, 0.79-0.92 for BF 7-12 months; [4], daycare (0.77, 0.71–0.94), early childhood infections (0.88, 0.79–0.98), and first-year contact with farm animals (OR 0.65, 0.50–0.85) [5,6]. Increased risks of ALL were found for large-for-gestational-age infants (OR 1.21, 1.11-1.32) [7], pre-labour caesarean delivery (1.23, 1.04–1.47) [8] and home pesticide use during pregnancy [9]. Parental occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields was not associated with childhood leukaemias [10].
CONCLUSIONS:
CLIC has surmounted multiple challenges across international borders. Harmonised, multi-country pooling of individual-level data can generate actionable evidence on modifiable risk factors for rare childhood cancers. We continue to address gaps in knowledge and to foster collaborations with researchers from additional countries with compatible data. CLIC is producing new pooled analyses on additional risk factors and rare childhood cancers, while expanding to include genomic and germline genetic data.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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