FAMILY HISTORY AND SUBSITE OF GASTRIC-CANCER - DATA FROM A CASE-REFERENT STUDY IN JAPAN

A comparative case-referent study was conducted using data from the Ho spital-Based Epidemiologic Research Program at Aichi Cancer Center (HE RPACC) (Nagoya, Japan), with the aim of clarifying the effect of famil y history on gastric cancer by subsite. Our study comprised 995 histol ogically confirmed gastric cancer cases (180 cardia, 430 middle, 365 a ntrum and 20 unclassified) and a total of 43,846 non-cancer outpatient s at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital between 1988 and 1995. Logistic regr ession was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for family history of g astric cancer and other cancers, adjusted for age, year and season at first hospital visit, habitual smoking, habitual alcohol drinking, reg ular physical exercise, preference for salty food and raw vegetable in take. In both genders, a positive family history of gastric cancer was associated with a moderate, but statistically significant increase in risk of gastric cancer [OR = 1.51, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1 .29-1.76], while no association was observed between the risk of gastr ic cancer and a family history of other cancers [OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0 .84-1.13]. OR increased for the middle and antrum parts of gastric can cer, but an increment for the cardiac part was observed only in those with a maternal history of gastric cancer. Our results suggest that th e risk of gastric cancer in relation to family history varies by subsi te and, furthermore, that the subsite-specific risk of gastric cancer is linked to a maternal history of gastric cancer. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss , Inc.