Childhood cancer deaths in california‐born twins. A further report on types of cancer found

Fifty‐two childhood cancer deaths, other than from leukemia, were identified in a California twin‐birth cohort. The occurrence of “other cancer” was similar to leukemia (previously reported) in that there was an overall deficit of twin deaths characterized by a deficit of females, second‐born, and twins weighing less than 51/2 pounds at birth. Contrasts in the cancer findings were that monozygotic twins did not appear to be underrepresented among “other cancer” deaths as they did for leukemia, and an independent effect of intra‐pair differences in birth weight, which had been found for leukemia, could not be detected for other forms of cancer. Three twin sets were found in this twin population with concordant cancer; 2 with leukemia and one with gonadoblastoma.