Hepatoblastoma incidence in the United States from 1973 to 1992

BACKGROUND: There is recent evidence to suggest that extremely low birth weight is associated with the occurrence of hepatoblastoma. PROCEDURE: In light of this possibility, we evaluated trends in hepatoblastoma incidence in the United States among children age 4 years and younger. RESULTS: We found an increasing trend (5.2%) in hepatoblastoma incidence over the past two decades, a period that corresponds with improved survival of very low birth weight children. CONCLUSION: Future studies of hepatoblastoma that incorporate birth weight are appropriate.