title: Family history of cancer and the risk of cancer: a network of case-control studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The risk of many cancers is higher in subjects with a family history (FH) of cancer at a concordant site. However, few studies investigated FH of cancer at discordant sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is based on a network of Italian and Swiss case-control studies on 13 cancer sites conducted between 1991 and 2009, and including more than 12 000 cases and 11 000 controls. We collected information on history of any cancer in first degree relatives, and age at diagnosis. Odds ratios (ORs) for FH were calculated by multiple logistic regression models, adjusted for major confounding factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All sites showed an excess risk in relation to FH of cancer at the same site. Increased risks were also found for oral and pharyngeal cancer and FH of laryngeal cancer (OR = 3.3), esophageal cancer and FH of oral and pharyngeal cancer (OR = 4.1), breast cancer and FH of colorectal cancer (OR = 1.5) and of hemolymphopoietic cancers (OR = 1.7), ovarian cancer and FH of breast cancer (OR = 2.3), and prostate cancer and FH of bladder cancer (OR = 3.4). For most cancer sites, the association with FH was stronger when the proband was affected at age <60 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results point to several potential cancer syndromes that appear among close relatives and may indicate the presence of genetic factors influencing multiple cancer sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan; Department of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Bioinformatics, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turati
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Edefonti
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bosetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferraroni
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan; Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malvezzi
authors.affiliation: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, IRCCS, Aviano.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Talamini
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, 'Fondazione G. Pascale', Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montella
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (IUMSP), Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, IRCCS, Aviano.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dal Maso
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, IRCCS, Aviano.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serraino
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, IRCCS, Aviano.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polesel
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan. Electronic address: eva.negri@marionegri.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Bioinformatics, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan; Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Decarli
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan; Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La Vecchia
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: cancer; case–control study; epidemiology; family history; risk factors