Abstract
ABO blood type is an inherited characteristic. The associations between ABO blood type and risk of all cancer and specific cancers were examined in a prospective cohort study of 18,244 Chinese men enrolled in 1986. During the 25 years of follow-up, 3,973 men developed cancer including 964 lung cancers, 624 colorectal cancers, 560 gastric cancers, 353 liver cancers, and 172 urinary bladder cancers. Hazard ratios (HR) for all cancer and specific cancers by ABO blood type were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models. Compared with blood type A, blood type B was associated with statistically significant reduced risk of all cancers (HR, 0.91, 95% CI:0.84, 0.99). Both blood types B and AB were associated with significantly lower risk of gastrointestinal cancer and colorectal cancer, respectively. Blood type B was also associated with significantly lower risk of stomach cancer and bladder cancer, while blood type AB was associated with significantly increased risk of liver cancer. By histological type, blood types B and AB were associated with lower risk of epidermoid carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, but were not associated with risk of sarcoma, lymphoma, leukemia or other cell types of cancer. The findings of this study support a role of genetic traits related to ABO blood type in the development of cancers in the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts.
Highlights
The ABO blood types, discovered by Karl Landsteiner in 1901, are medically the most important blood types
The distributions of age, body mass index, level of education, smoking status and the number of cigarettes consumed per day or over lifetime, and alcohol intake were comparable across different ABO blood types (Table 1)
The present study showed a higher risk of liver cancer for blood type AB and lower risk of urinary bladder cancer for blood type B
Summary
The ABO blood types, discovered by Karl Landsteiner in 1901, are medically the most important blood types. A simple test for the presence or absence of antigen A or antigen B in the blood can determine an individual’s ABO blood type [2]. Individuals with blood type A have antigen A present but absence of antigen B in their red blood cells whereas those with blood type B have antigen B but no antigen A. People with blood type AB have both antigens A and B present in the red blood cells. Individuals with blood type O have neither antigen A nor antigen B expressed in their red blood cells [3].
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