ABO and Rh Blood Groups and Risk of Colorectal Adenocarcinoma

Yuksel Urun,Berna Savas,Filiz Cay Senler,Berna Oksuzoglu,Fikri Icli,Hakan Akbulut,Gungor Utkan,Bulent Yalcin,Handan Onur,Nurullah Zengin,Ahmet Demirkazik,Derya Gokmen Oztuna,Nuriye Yildirim Ozdemir,Izzet Dogan

doi:10.7314/apjcp.2012.13.12.6097

Abstract

Previous studies have observed an association between ABO blood group and risk for certain gastrointestinal malignancies, including pancreatic and gastric cancer. However, it is unclear whether there is such an association with colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, possible relationships between ABO blood groups and Rh factor and KRAS status in patients with CRC were investigated. In 1,620 patients with CRC, blood group and Rh factor were examined and compared with the control group of 3,022,883 healthy volunteer blood donors of the Turkish Red Crescent between 2004 and 2011. The relationship of blood groups with wild type K-ras status was also evaluated. Overall distributions of ABO blood groups as well as Rh factor were comparable between patients (45% A, 7.2% AB, 16.4% B, 31.4% O, and 87.2% Rh+) and controls (42.2% A, 7.6% AB, 16.3% B, 33.9% O, and 87.7% Rh+) (p=0.099). However, there were statistically significant difference between patients and controls with respect to O vs. non O blood group (p=0.033) and marginally significant difference for A vs. non-A blood group (p=0.052). Among patients, the median age was 62 (range 17-97), 58.1% were male. There were no statistically significant differences respect to sex and K-ras status. In present study, the ABO/Rh blood groups were statistically significantly associated with the risk of CRC. There were no relationship between K-ras status and ABO blood group and Rh factor. However further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to establish the role of blood groups and to define the mechanisms by which ABO blood type affect CRC.

Highlights

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third common cancer in both women and men and responsible for approximately 10% of all cancers
Previous studies have observed an association between ABO blood group and risk for certain gastrointestinal malignancies, including pancreatic and gastric cancer
Overall distributions of ABO blood groups as well as Rh factor were comparable between patients (45% A, 7.2% AB, 16.4% B, 31.4% O, and 87.2% Rh+) and controls (42.2% A, 7.6% AB, 16.3% B, 33.9% O, and 87.7% Rh+) (p=0.099)

Summary

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third common cancer in both women and men and responsible for approximately 10% of all cancers. Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) or Lynch syndrome are well known examples of hereditary risk factors. These genetic syndromes and other known risk factors account for only a small number of CRC cases. ABO Blood Groups and Rh of Patients with contribution of genetic variation in the ABO locus of 9q34 CRC and Healthy Population to pancreatic carcinogenesis (Amundadottir et al, 2009). Such a significant relationship hasn’t been identified for CRC (Aird et al, 1954; Khalili et al, 2011). Various cancer cells express blood group antigens on cell surface and in several studies cancer associated alterations of

Control group n

Materials and Methods

Newly diagnosed without treatment

The human ABO genes are located in chromosome

Findings

ABO antigens are also expressed on the surface of many