Family history of cancer in first-degree relatives and risk of gastric cancer and its precursors in a Western population

• Published in: Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. 729 - 737
• Main Authors: Song, Minkyo, Camargo, M. Constanza, Weinstein, Stephanie J., Best, Ana F., Männistö, Satu, Albanes, Demetrius, Rabkin, Charles S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01-09-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abdominal Surgery; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Atrophy; Atrophy - blood; Cancer Research; Family medical history; Finland; Gastric cancer; Gastric Mucosa - pathology; Gastroenterology; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Health risk assessment; Helicobacter Infections - complications; Humans; Intestine; Logistic Models; Male; Malignancy; Medical History Taking; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Oncology; Original Article; Pedigree; Pepsinogen A - blood; Stomach Neoplasms - genetics; Stomach Neoplasms - pathology; Surgical Oncology; Gastric atrophy; Family history; Gastric cancer; Risk factors; Caucasians
• ISSN: 1436-3291; 1436-3305
• DOI: 10.1007/s10120-018-0807-0

Background
Family history may inform risks of gastric cancer and preneoplastic lesions.
Methods
We examined associations with history of cancer in first-degree relatives for 307 incident gastric cancer cases among 20,720 male smokers in a prospective study in Finland. Cox regression was used to calculate gastric cancer hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% CIs for low serum pepsinogen, a marker of gastric atrophy.
Results
Gastric cancer risk was associated with gastric cancer history in first-degree relatives overall (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.15–2.12), in fathers (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.09–2.55) and in siblings (HR 2.05, 95% CI 1.25–3.38). Associations were significant for noncardia (HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.30–2.57) but not cardia (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.46–1.87) cancers, and marginal for both intestinal—(HR 1.53, 95% CI 0.92–2.55) and diffuse-type (HR 1.47, 95% CI 0.72–3.03) histologies. Family history of other cancer types was not associated with gastric cancer risk. Family history of gastric cancer was associated with low pepsinogen (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.11–1.50).
Conclusions
Family history of gastric cancer is strongly associated with specific subtypes of gastric cancer as well as with gastric atrophy, a risk factor for developing this malignancy.