Background Causative genetic variants have to date been identified for only a small proportion of familial colorectal cancer (CRC). While conditions such as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) and Lynch Syndrome (Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer, HNPCC) are caused by well defined genetic defects, the search for variants underlying the remainder of familial CRC is plagued by genetic he...

Mutations in DNA repair genes are known for their association with hereditary breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the major genes for high-penetrance familial breast and ovarian cancer, whereas mutations in ATM or Chek2 confer more modest cancer risk. Additional genes involved in DNA double-strand break repair have more recently been associated with breast cancer risk: heterozygosity for deleter...

BACKGROUND This study prospectively examines weight gain in breast cancer survivors compared with cancer-free women from a familial risk cohort. METHODS Absolute and percent weight change over 4 years was compared among 303 breast cancer survivors and 307 cancer-free women matched on age and menopausal status, from the same familial risk cohort. Linear and logistic regression was used to esti...

The reasons for the high risk of contralateral breast cancer are not understood, although polygenic mechanisms have been suggested to be involved. The nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database was used to examine the interaction of the risks for contralateral and familial cancer. Relative risks were separately determined for contralateral and familial breast cancers, and these were tested for a...

A mail questionnaire was distributed to residents of a retirement community as part of a study of factors associ ated with cancer risk in the elderly. Maternal and paternal age and birth order were not associated with increased risk. With the exception of a positive association between heart disease and prostate cancer, there was no association between a personal or familial history of allergy,...

Familial thyroid cancer has become a well-recognized entity in patients with thyroid cancer originating from follicular cells, that is, nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma. The diagnosis of familial thyroid cancer provides an opportunity for early detection and possible prevention in family members. Understanding the syndromes associated with familial thyroid cancer allows clinicians to evaluate and...

BACKGROUND Male breast cancer patients have a higher risk of developing a second primary cancer, but whether this risk differs according to the family history of breast or ovarian cancers remains to be elucidated. We aimed to determine the effect of a positive family history among men diagnosed with breast cancer on tumour characteristics, treatment, second cancer occurrence and overall surviva...

BACKGROUND Genomewide association studies have identified 10 low-penetrance loci that confer modestly increased risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Although they underlie a significant proportion of CRC in the general population, their impact on the familial risk for CRC has yet to be formally enumerated. The aim of this study was to examine the combined contribution of the 10 variants, rs6983267...