Cancer in first degree relatives of Latin American women with cervical cancer. A pilot study.

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer of women in Latin America, being strongly associated with infection by certain human papillomavirus (HPV) types. Familial cancer clustering can be due to interactions between infectious agents and host genes. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cancer-related family history of first degree relatives was elicited in 335 women with invasive cervical cancer (probands) and in 335 women without cancer (controls) in Honduras, Peru and Uruguay, and the frequency of reported familial cancers among the relatives was compared between proband and control relatives. RESULTS The mean age at the time of interview was 49.8 years for the probands and 50.1 years for the controls (NS). 3852 proband relatives had 114 primary cancers of the following major localisations: 22 uterus, 16 lung, 12 stomach and 64 others. 3333 control relatives had 101 primary cancers of the following major localizations: 18 uterus, 13 stomach, 12 breast, 11 intestinal, 10 lung and 37 others. The frequency of all cancer diagnosis among proband relatives was similar to the frequency among control relatives (odds ratio= 1.01; 95% confidence interval: 0.69-1.47). Nine haemolymphatic malignancies were reported among proband relatives versus 2 in control relatives (odds ratio=3.46; 95% confidence interval: 0.74-16.29). CONCLUSION All cancer combined did not appear to be more frequent in first degree relatives of women with cervical cancer diagnosis, but haemolymphatic malignancies, a minor part of the cancer burden, may be overrepresented in relatives of women with cervical cancer, pointing to a pathogenic role of familial e.g. hereditary, immunosuppression.