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Title: Family History of Colorectal Cancer Linked With Reduced Risk of Cancer Recurrence
URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/222F5A.htm
Doctor's Guide
June 4, 2008

CHICAGO -- June 4, 2008 -- Among patients with advanced colon cancer receiving treatment that includes chemotherapy, a family history of colorectal cancer is associated with a significant reduction in cancer recurrence and death, with the risk reduced further by having an increasing number of affected first-degree relatives, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA.

Jennifer A. Chan, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues examined the association of family history of colorectal cancer with recurrence and survival of 1,087 patients with stage III colon cancer who were receiving supplemental chemotherapy. Patients provided information on family history of colorectal cancer at the beginning of the study, and were followed up until March 2007 for cancer recurrence and death.

Among the 1,087 participants, 195 reported a family history of colorectal cancer in 1 or more first-degree relatives. Compared with patients without a family history, those with a family history had a 28% lower risk for cancer recurrence or death, which occurred in 57 of 195 patients with a family history of colorectal cancer compared with 343 of 892 patients without a family history.

Examining just the risk for cancer recurrence, patients with a family history of colorectal cancer had a 26% reduced risk compared with patients without a family history. Cancer recurrence occurred in 27% of patients with a family history of colorectal cancer and 35% of patients without a family history. The reduced risk of death for patients with a family history of colorectal cancer was 25%.

The apparent benefit associated with family history was stronger with an increasing number of affected family members. Compared with participants without a family history of colorectal cancer, participants with 2 or more affected relatives had a 51% lower risk for cancer recurrence or death.

"Our data support the hypothesis that a relatively common, though less penetrant, genetic predisposition may not only influence colorectal cancer risk but also patient survival. This finding may reflect a distinct underlying molecular and pathogenic mechanism in cancers that develop in the setting of a common family history. Further studies are needed to more fully elucidate potential mechanisms by which a common family history may influence the outcome for patients with colorectal cancer," the researchers concluded.


SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association

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