Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Kowalko, Johanna

Abstract

Many genetic variants and metabolic pathways are shared between autism and cancer. However, relatively few studies have examined whether patients with autism have an increased incidence of cancer. We hypothesize that patients with autism are more prone to developing cancer. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the autism incidence rates in pediatrics cancer patients through examining the charts of 199 cancer patients between 2-20 years of age at Palm Beach Children's Hospital between 2012 and 2020. We calculated the percentage of patients diagnosed with autism before the onset of cancer and compared it to the CDC data about the national prevalence of autism in 2016. While our results were not statistically significant, our cohort showed over a two-fold increase in the autism incidence rates between patients diagnosed with cancer (5.0%) and the Autism Spectrum Disorder rate in the general population (1.8%).

Comments

Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2021

Extent

23 p.

Identifier

FAUHT00133

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