Correlation of umbilical cord blood haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell levels with birth weight: implications for a prenatal influence on cancer risk

We examined the relation with birth weight and umbilical cord blood concentrations of haematopoietic stem and progenitor populations in 288 singleton infants. Across the whole range of birth weight, there was a positive relation between birth weight and CD34(+) CD38(-) cells, with each 500 g increase in birth weight being associated with a 15.5% higher (95% confidence interval: 1.6-31.3%) cell concentration. CD34(+) and CD34(+) c-kit(+) cells had J-shaped relations and CFU-GM cells had a U-shaped relation with birth weight. Among newborns with >= 3000 g birth weights, concentrations of these cells increased with birth weight, while those below 3000 g had higher stem cell concentrations than the reference category of 3000-3499 g. Adjustment for cord blood plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 levels weakened the stem and progenitor cell-birth weight associations. The positive associations between birth weight and stem cell measurements for term newborns with a normal-to-high birth weight support the stem cell burden hypothesis of cancer risk.