Family history of cancer and renal cell cancer risk in Caucasians and African Americans

BACKGROUND: The association between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk and family history of cancer has not been examined with an adequate number of African Americans (AAs). METHODS: In a population-based case–control study, unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate the association between RCC risk and a family history of cancer among 1217 RCC cases and 1235 controls. RESULTS: Increased RCC risk was shown for subjects with at least one first-degree relative with kidney cancer (odds ratio=2.29; 95% confidence interval=1.31–4.00). No differences in risk were observed when analyses were stratified by race. For Caucasians, excess risk was observed among those reporting a sibling with kidney cancer, whereas for AAs, increased risk occurred among subjects reporting either a sibling or parent affected with the disease. A family history of non-renal cancers, and those related to smoking or to the von Hippel–Lindau syndrome, revealed no association with RCC risk. CONCLUSION: The RCC risk associated with a family history of kidney cancer is similar among Caucasians and AAs.