Cigarette smoking is the major cause for lung cancer but genetic factors also affect susceptibility. We studied families that included multiple relatives affected by lung cancer. Results from linkage analysis showed strong evidence that a region of chromosome 6q affects lung cancer risk. To characterize the effects that this region of chromosome 6q region has on lung cancer risk we identified a haplotype that segregated with lung cancer. We then performed Cox regression analysis to estimate the differential effects that smoking behaviors have upon lung cancer risk according to whether each individual carried a risk-associated haplotype or could not be classified and was assigned unknown haplotypic status. We divided smoking exposures into never smokers, light smokers (<20 pack years), moderate smokers (20-<40 pack years) and heavy smokers (40 or more pack years). Comparing results according to smoking behavior stratified by carrier status, compared to never smokers, there was weakly increasing risk for increasing smoking behaviors, with the hazards ratios being 3.44, 4.91, and 5.18 respectively for light, moderate or heavy smokers, while among the individuals from families without the risk haplotype, the risks associated with smoking increased strongly with exposure, the hazards ratios being respectively 4.25, 9.17 and 11.89 for light, moderate and heavy smokers. The never smoking carriers had a 4.71 fold higher risk than the never smoking individuals without known risk haplotypes. These results identify a region of chromosome 6q that increases risk for lung cancer and that confers particularly higher risks to never and light smokers.

Colorectal carcinoma is uncommon in Egypt, but a high proportion of cases occurs before age 40 years and in the rectum. We compared the molecular pathology of 59 representative Egyptian patients aged 10–72 to Western patients with sporadic, young-onset, or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome (HNPCC)-associated carcinoma and found significant differences. Most Egyptian cancers were rectal (51%) and poorly differentiated (58%). High levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H) were frequent (37%) and attributable in some cases (36%) to methylation of the promoter of the hMLH1 mismatch repair gene, but no MSI-H cancer had loss of hMSH2 mismatch repair gene product of the type seen with germline hMSH2 mutation in HNPCC. K-ras mutation was uncommon (11%). In subset analyses, high frequencies of MSI-H in rectal carcinomas (36%) and p53 gene product overexpression in MSI-H cancers (50%) were found. MSI-H and K-ras mutation in Egyptians under age 40 were unusual (17% and 0%, respectively), and schistosomiasis was associated with MSI and K-ras mutation. Cluster analysis identified 2 groups: predominantly young men with poorly differentiated mucinous and signet-ring cell colorectal carcinoma lacking K-ras mutation; older patients who had well- or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma often with MSI-H, K-ras mutation and schistosomiasis. Our findings show that the molecular pathology of colorectal cancer in older as well as younger Egyptians has unique differences from Western patients, and schistosomiasis influences the molecular pathogenesis of some tumours. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaignhttp://www.bjcancer.com