Familial clustering in subgroups of gastric cancer stratified by histology, age group and location

Aim: To assess the risk of gastric cancer in a Japanese patient population with the disease by stratification with histology, age, tumour location and the association with family history of gastric or non-gastric tumours. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1400 consecutive patients with gastric cancer and 13,467 age- and gender-matched controls from a pre-recorded database using conditional logistic regression models. Results: Young patients (< 43 years of age) with gastric cancer of intestinal type had a strong association with family history of gastric cancer in first degree-relatives (OR = 12.5). Moreover, when a history of gastric cancer was observed in both parents, there was an increased risk of gastric cancer intestinal type (OR = 7.8), more commonly in the proximal and mid-stomach. In contrast, there was an increased risk of diffuse-type cancer when both parents suffered non-gastric cancers (OR = 2.1). Conclusion: These data suggest that the degree of familial clustering differ in gastric cancer subgroups stratified by histology, age, and stomach location in this Japanese population. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.