title: Breast cancer incidence in Greek women in relation to ABO blood groups and Rh factor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the correlation between breast cancer in Greek women and ABO blood groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 166 female patients with breast cancer factors such as blood group, histological type, family history, presence or absence of nodal and/or distant metastases were examined. These patients had similar demographic, clinical, surgical, immunohistochemical, laboratory, and follow-up data and this group is representative of general population of women in Greece.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ductal type of breast cancer was differentially distributed in blood groups Rh (+) (P </= 0.001). In patients with A (+) blood group the ductal type of breast cancer was present in 49.6% of cases, in relation to the other blood groups and in AB blood group the same type occurred rarely (3.6%). Rh (+) women with positive family history were more often found in A blood group. The relative risk of metastasis in Rh (-) patients was 4.2 times higher than that in Rh (+) patients. Among Rh (+) patients, the relative risk of metastasis was 1.29 times higher in A blood group than in other blood groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blood group A is often associated with ductal breast cancer (49.6%), in contrast to the other blood groups and particularly to blood group AB (3.6%). Blood group A and, particularly, A (-) has the worst prognosis of all.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, University of Athens, School of Medicine, LAIKO General Hospital, Athens, Greece. stamatakosmih@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stamatakos
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kontzoglou
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Safioleas
authors.forename: Constnatinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Safioleas
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manti
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Safioleas
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