Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28130150›Full record

ArticleClinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association2017

Familial Risk and Heritability of Colorectal Cancer in the Nordic Twin Study of Cancer.

Rebecca E Graff, Sören Möller, Michael N Passarelli, John S Witte, Axel Skytthe, Kaare Christensen, Qihua Tan, Hans-Olov Adami, Kamila Czene, Jennifer R Harris and 5 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
61citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

61 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 159 citations in OpenAlex.

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  18. Impact ofFrontiers in immunology · 2025
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1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 8 institutions in 6 countries.

Rebecca E GraffDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Electronic address: Rebecca.Graff@ucsf.edu.
Sören MöllerEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
Michael N PassarelliDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
John S WitteDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
Axel SkyttheEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
Kaare ChristensenEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
Qihua TanEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
Hans-Olov AdamiDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Kamila CzeneDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Jennifer R HarrisDepartment of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Eero PukkalaFinnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland; School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
Jaakko KaprioDepartment of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Health, Helsinki, Finland; Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki, Finland.
Edward L GiovannucciDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Lorelei A MucciDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Centre for Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Jacob B HjelmborgEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
University of Southern Denmark · DKBrigham and Women's Hospital · USHarvard University · USUniversity of California, San Francisco · USKarolinska Institutet · SENorwegian Institute of Public Health · NOTampere University · FIUniversity of Helsinki · FI

Funding

Statistical MethodsP01CA087969 · NCI · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI TWOROGER, SHELLEY S · 2000 to 2019
$77.8M
Training in Molecular& Genetic Epidemiology of CancerR25CA112355 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI WITTE, JOHN S. · 2005 to 2018
$6.5M
Genetic Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer Risk and ProgressionR01CA088164 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI VAN DEN EEDEN, STEPHEN K., WITTE, JOHN S. · 2000 to 2015
$6.1M
Genomewide Association Study of Prostate CancerU01CA127298 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI WITTE, JOHN S. · 2008 to 2012
$5.1M
Nutritional Epidemiology of Cancer Education and Career Development ProgramR25CA098566 · NCI · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · PI STAMPFER, MEIR · 2003 to 2013
$4.5M
Genome-wide Pleiotropy Scan across Multiple CancersR01CA201358 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI GRAFF, REBECCA ELIZABETH, SAKODA, LORI · 2016 to 2019
$2.5M
NCI NIH HHS P01 CA087969NCI NIH HHS R01 CA088164NCI NIH HHS R01 CA201358NCI NIH HHS R25 CA098566NCI NIH HHS R25 CA112355NCI NIH HHS U01 CA127298
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND &

aimsWe analyzed data from twins to determine how much the familial risk of colorectal cancer can be attributed to genetic factors vs environment. We also examined whether heritability is distinct for colon vs rectal cancer, given evidence of distinct etiologies.

methodsOur data set included 39,990 monozygotic and 61,443 same-sex dizygotic twins from the Nordic Twin Study of Cancer. We compared each cancer's risk in twins of affected co-twins relative to the cohort risk (familial risk ratio [FRR]). We then estimated the proportion of variation in risk that could be attributed to genetic factors (heritability).

resultsFrom earliest registration in 1943 through 2010, there were 1861 individuals diagnosed with colon cancer and 1268 diagnosed with rectal cancer. Monozygotic twins of affected co-twins had an FRR for colorectal cancer of 3.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.4-3.8) relative to the cohort risk. Dizygotic twins of affected co-twins had an FRR for colorectal cancer of 2.2 (95% CI, 1.7-2.7). We estimated that 40% (95% CI, 33%-48%) of the variation in colorectal cancer risk could be attributed to genetic factors; unique environment only accounted for the remaining liability. For colon cancer, the FRR was 3.3 (95% CI, 2.1-4.5) for monozygotic twins and 2.6 (95% CI, 1.7-3.5) for dizygotic twins. For rectal cancer, comparable estimates were 3.3 (95% CI, 1.5-5.1) for monozygotic twins and 2.6 (95% CI, 1.2-4.0) for dizygotic twins. Heritability estimates for colon and rectal cancer were 16% (95% CI, 0-46%) and 15% (95% CI, 0-50%), common environment estimates were 15% (95% CI, 0-38%) and 11% (95% CI, 0-38%), and unique environment estimates were 68% (95% CI, 57%-79%) and 75% (95% CI, 61%-88%), respectively.

conclusionsInterindividual genetic differences could account for 40% of the variation in susceptibility to colorectal cancer; risk for colon and rectal cancers might have less of a genetic component than risk for colorectal cancer. Siblings, and particularly monozygotic co-twins, of individuals with colon or rectal cancer should consider personalized screening.

Indexed as

Family HealthGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChildChild, PreschoolColonic NeoplasmsEuropeFemaleHumansIndividualityInfantMaleMiddle AgedBiometric ModelingConcordance Relative RiskGenetic SusceptibilityZygosity

Identifiers

PMID28130150
PMCPMC5522647
OpenAlexW2580024686

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.