A NEW study highlights the importance of family history in assessing the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly in individuals with relatives who have frequent polyp diagnoses. The research, leveraging data from the Swedish family cancer datasets (1964-2018), found that a higher frequency of polyp diagnoses in family members significantly increased the risk of both overall and early-onset CRC.
The study followed 11,676,043 individuals for up to 54 years, comparing the risk of CRC in those with a family history of colorectal tumours to those without. Individuals with one first-degree relative (FDR) who had a single polyp diagnosis were found to have a 1.4-fold increased risk of CRC, with a similar risk for early-onset CRC. Individuals with one FDR who had two or more polyp diagnoses had an 1.8-fold increased risk of overall CRC and a 2.3-fold higher risk of early-onset CRC.
Moreover, the study found that a family history of polyps in two or more FDRs, especially with frequent diagnoses, resulted in a 2.4-fold increased overall risk and a 3.9-fold increased early-onset CRC risk. The findings suggest that a younger age at polyp diagnosis in relatives also contributed to higher CRC risk.
These results underscore the need for personalized CRC screening strategies, particularly for those with a family history of polyps, to better detect and prevent early-onset colorectal cancer.
Helena Bradbury, EMJ
Reference
Hu Y et al. Risk of colorectal cancer associated with frequency of colorectal polyp diagnosis in relatives. Gastroenterology. 2024;doi:https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2024.12.030.
