ABO Blood Group and Incidence of Skin Cancer

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious studies have examined the association between ABO blood group and the risk of some malignancies. However, no prospective cohort study to date has examined the association between ABO blood group and the risk of skin cancer.Methodology/Principal FindingsUsing two large cohorts in the US, we examined ABO blood type and incidence of skin cancer, including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). We followed up study participants (70,650 female nurses and 24,820 male health professionals) on their diagnosis of incident skin cancer from cohort baseline (1976 in women and 1986 in men) until 2006. Study participants reported their blood type in 1996 in both cohorts. During the follow-up, 685 participants developed melanoma, 1,533 developed SCC and 19,860 developed BCC. We used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of each type of skin cancer. We observed that non-O blood group (A, AB, and B combined) was significantly associated with a decreased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer overall. Compared to participants with blood group O, participants with non-O blood group had a 14% decreased risk of developing SCC (multivariable HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.95) and a 4% decreased risk of developing BCC (multivariable HR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.93, 0.99). The decreased risk of melanoma for non-O blood group was not statistically significant (multivariable HR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.78, 1.05).Conclusion/SignificanceIn two large independent populations, non-O blood group was associated with a decreased risk of skin cancer. The association was statistically significant for non-melanoma skin cancer. Additional studies are needed to confirm these associations and to define the mechanisms by which ABO blood type or closely linked genetic variants may influence skin cancer risk.

Relationships between Skin Cancers and Blood Groups - Link between Non-melanomas and ABO/Rh Factors

“…Similarly, Iodice et al demonstrated that most of the patients with non-melanoma skin cancer had A Rh positive (Iodice et al, 2010). In another study, Xie et al (2010) investigated the relationship between the blood groups and incidence of skin cancer in participants with 0 blood group and non-0 blood group. The authors reported that participants with non-0 blood group had a reduced risk by 14% for developing SCC and by 4% for developing BCC.…”

“…Genetic studies have demonstrated that individuals with A blood group are more resistant to the influenza virus, despite a higher risk profile for acute rheumatism, whereas individuals with 0 blood group are highly resistant to the viruses despite a higher risk profile for gastric cancer, ulcer and other forms of cancer. In addition, although it has been reported that several forms of cancer are associated with subtypes of ABO blood groups, the exact mechanism of this association remains to be elucidated (Rolfe et al, 2002;Adamian, 2005;Hosoi, 2008;Xie et al, 2010).…”

“…However, the reduction in the risk for melanoma for non-0 blood group was not statistically significant. As a result, the risk for developing skin cancer was lower in participants with non-0 blood group (Xie et al, 2010). In another study investigating the possible relationship between the ABO and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), Vincenzo et al reported an increased risk for developing CMM in individuals with 0 Rh (-) (Vincenzo et al, 2011).…”

ABO Blood Groups and Risk of Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Confounding factors were not included in our metaanalysis as the case in most of the studies included. Several studies performed multivariate analysis, while the results changed little compared with univariate analysis (Xie et al, 2010;Joh et al, 2012).…”

ABO and Rh Blood Groups in Relation to Ovarian, Endometrial and Cervical Cancer Risk Among The Population of South-East Siberia

“…It has been reported that carriers of the blood group O had a 4% reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma and 14% reduced risk of squamous cell carcinoma within the large cohort of US individuals (Xie et al, 2010). Likewise, it has been demonstrated that subjects possessing the blood group O have a lower risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those with groups A or B (Amundadottir et al, 2009;Wolpin et al, 2010).…”