Early-onset grade 2-3 diffuse gliomas and schwannomas increase the risk of central nervous system tumors among the patients’ relatives

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are a heterogeneous group of tumors that include several aggressive malignancies with a high mortality rate. This study aimed to evaluate the familial relative risk of CNS tumors in family members of early-onset index cases (probands) in and between diffuse glioma, non-diffuse glioma, meningioma, and other CNS tumors. METHODS: We retrieved tumor data from the Finnish cancer registry and familial relationships data from the population information system. We ascertained 5408 probands diagnosed with primary CNS tumors (age ≤40 years) between 1970 and 2012 in Finland. We report the standardized incidence ratios as a measure of familial aggregation using Poisson regression. RESULTS: The risk of early-onset diffuse glioma increased among siblings of probands with the same tumor [SIR 3.85, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.66–7.59], with association mainly returning to grade 2–3 diffuse gliomas. Early-onset other CNS tumors were associated with an increased risk of other CNS tumors, early-onset meningioma, and late-onset diffuse glioma in 1st-degree relatives. The elevated risk of other CNS tumors was largely caused by schwannomas (SIR 59.44, 95% CI: 27.18–112.84 for 1st-degree relatives) and associated with neurofibromatosis. No tumor syndrome was associated with an increased risk of diffuse gliomas. CONCLUSIONS: The early onset of grade 2–3 diffuse gliomas is associated with an increased risk of similar tumor entities. Early-onset schwannomas dramatically increase CNS tumor risk with a broader tumor-type profile. In future studies, it would be important to identify the underlying shared hereditary factors that contribute to the development of familial diffuse gliomas.