title: Circulating Beta-2 Microglobulin and Risk of Cancer: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC).
abstract: Serum β-2 microglobulin (B2M), a major histocompatibility complex class I molecule that is a biomarker of kidney filtration and increased cell turnover, is elevated at the time of diagnosis in hematological and some solid cancers. However, serum B2M was not examined prospectively as a marker for cancer risk. We hypothesized that in a population without a prior cancer diagnosis, serum B2M is associated with risk of cancer (n = 2,436), including colorectal (n = 255), lung (n = 298), breast (n = 424), and prostate (n = 524) cancers, and hematological (n = 176) malignancies.
  
  
  
  The analytical cohort (n = 12,300) was followed for incident cancers from 1990 through 2006. B2M (range, 0.9-57.8 mg/L) was measured in stored serum collected in 1990-1992. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals for cancer incidence and mortality in relation to quartiles of B2M.
  
  
  
  Adjusting for age, sex, race, center, education, body mass index, smoking, aspirin, and hormone therapy (in women) and comparing highest to lowest B2M quartiles, HRs were 1.25 (1.06-1.47; Ptrend = 0.002) for total cancer risk and 2.21 (1.32-3.70; Ptrend=0.001) for colorectal cancer risk, with similar HRs for colon and rectal cancers. These associations remained after adjustment for an inflammatory biomarker, C-reactive protein, and after excluding the first three years of follow-up. Significant associations were also observed for mortality from total, lung, and hematological cancers.
  
  
  
  These findings provide the first evidence that higher serum B2M is associated with increased colorectal cancer risk.
  
  
  
  This study supports B2M as a potential biomarker for colorectal cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(4); 657-64. ©2016 AACR.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota. University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. prizm001@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Anna E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Prizment
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Linabery
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Pamela L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lutsey
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Selvin
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota. University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Heather H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Aaron R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Folsom
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Church
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland. Department of Immunology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Charles G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. Department of Urology and the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Platz
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Joshu
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin