ABO blood group, Helicobacter pylori seropositivity, and risk of pancreatic cancer: a case-control study

J Natl Cancer Inst. 2010 Apr 7;102(7):502-5. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djq007. Epub 2010 Feb 24.

Abstract

Carriage of a non-O ABO blood group and colonization by Helicobacter pylori are thought to be risk factors for pancreatic cancer. We examined these associations in a population-based case-control study of 373 case patients and 690 control subjects frequency matched on sex and age. Control subjects were selected by random-digit dialing. Seropositivity for H pylori and its virulence protein CagA was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Increased risk of pancreatic cancer was associated with non-O blood group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.83, P = .034) and CagA-negative H pylori seropositivity (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.66, P = .025), but no association was observed for CagA seropositivity (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.52 to 1.16). An association between pancreatic cancer risk and CagA-negative H pylori seropositivity was found among individuals with non-O blood type but not among those with O blood type (OR = 2.78, 95% CI = 1.49 to 5.20, P = .0014; OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.62 to 2.64, P = .51, respectively). This study demonstrates an association between pancreatic cancer and H pylori colonization, particularly for individuals with non-O blood types.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • ABO Blood-Group System / adverse effects*
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood*
  • Antigens, Bacterial / blood*
  • Bacterial Proteins / blood*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic
  • Connecticut / epidemiology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Helicobacter Infections / complications*
  • Helicobacter Infections / diagnosis
  • Helicobacter pylori / immunology
  • Helicobacter pylori / isolation & purification*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Odds Ratio
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / epidemiology*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / microbiology

Substances

  • ABO Blood-Group System
  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori