Aim: The relationship between ABO blood group and cancer was observed in many epidemiological researches. Our aim is to study the relationship between ABO blood group and the risk of cancer in the Taiwanese population.
Methods: We followed 3180 men and 3124 women with baseline ages ranging from 20 to 65 years for 27 years. Blood group information was obtained from registration on Identity Card. Cancer incidence information was confirmed by reviewing National Cancer Registry. Hazard ratios (HRs) for cancers according to ABO blood group were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models with multivariate adjustment.
Results: During an average of 27 years of follow-up, the adjusted HR of total cancer was 1.66 (95% CI, 1.20-2.30) for blood group AB in men and 1.28 (95% CI, 1.03-1.59) for blood group A in women, compared to blood group O of their respective gender. A significant excess risk was found among subjects with presence of A antigen. This positive association was mainly observed in cancers from lung cancer (HR: 1.88 [95% CI: 1.29-2.75]) and gastrointestinal cancer (HR: 1.25 [95% CI: 1.00-1.61]) in men, as well as liver cancer (HR: 1.69 [95% CI: 1.02-2.79]) and gastrointestinal cancer (HR: 1.49 [95% CI: 1.10-2.04]) in women.
Conclusion: These data suggest that ABO blood group is significantly associated with cancer risk. Men with blood group AB, women with blood group A, and subjects with presence of A antigen were more likely to develop cancers.
Keywords: ABO blood group; Taiwan; cancer.
© 2014 The Authors. Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology Published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.