Association between ABO Blood Group and Various Types of Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Greek Adults

Abstract

Background: The association between ABO blood group and cancer has been identified in many epidemiological researches. The aim of the current research was to investigate the association between ABO blood group and the risk of several types of cancer in a Greek adult population. Methods: A total of 459 individuals who suffered from various types of cancer and 918 non-cancer individuals were enrolled. Blood group data obtained from registration on Identity Patient’s Card. The associations between ABO blood group and cancer estimated using multi-variate logistic regression analysis, whereas a multinomial model was carried out to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for each type of cancer separately. Results: The risk of overall cancer in blood group A and B individuals was significantly higher than that in O and AB groups, (OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.33–2.87, and OR=2.04 95% CI=1.43-2.90, respectively). Compared to blood type O, blood type A was significantly associated with an increased risk of gastric (OR= 2.55, 95% CI= 0.55-4.30), colorectal (OR= 2.06, 95% CI= 0.82-2.58), pancreatic (OR= 2.23, 95% CI= 1.02-2.83), and lung cancer (OR= 2.78, 95% CI= 1.63-5.49), whereas blood type B was significantly associated with an increased risk of esophagus cancer (OR= 1.26, 95% CI= 0.83-1.50), after adjusting for age, gender ,educational and socio-economic status, smoking, and family history of cancer. Conclusions: Those outcomes suggest that ABO blood group is significantly associated with an increased risk of overall cancer. A blood group individual was more likely to develop gastric, esophagus, colorectal, lung, and pancreatic cancer.