Increased cancer risk in offspring of women with colorectal carcinoma: a Swedish register-based cohort study.
BACKGROUND
Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the Western population, and a considerable proportion of colorectal carcinomas are estimated to have a familial background.


METHODS
Individuals whose mothers were diagnosed with colon carcinoma or rectal carcinoma from 1958 to 1993, a total of 1. 48 million person-years, constituted the cohort of this Swedish population-based register study. The children were born during the period 1941-1993, and the cancer incidence was observed during the period 1961-1993, with the expected national Swedish incidence used as a reference.


RESULTS
A significantly increased risk of colon carcinoma, rectal carcinoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma was observed in the cohort. The cancer risk was more pronounced in children whose mothers were age < 50 years at the time of diagnosis or had developed metachronous colorectal carcinoma. Whereas colon carcinoma in the proband implied an increased risk for both colon tumors and rectal tumors, the offspring of women who were diagnosed with rectal carcinoma were at increased risk of developing rectal carcinoma, but no significantly altered risk of colon carcinoma was observed. In the cohort, the cumulative risk for colorectal carcinoma before age 50 years was increased about 3.0 times compared with the general population.


CONCLUSIONS
This report shows a significant familial aggregation of colorectal carcinoma, demonstrates possible differences in hereditary pattern between colon carcinoma and rectal carcinoma, and confirms that younger age at the time of diagnosis or the occurrence of metachronous tumors indicate familial carcinoma.
Planck
M
M
Department of Oncology, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Anderson
H
H
Bladström
A
A
Möller
T
T
Wenngren
E
E
Olsson
H
H
D015331:Cohort Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology