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American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 128, No. 3: 524-535
Copyright © 1988 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

research-article

FAMILY RISK INDEX AS A MEASURE OF FAMILIAL HETEROGENEITY OF CANCER RISK

A POPULATION-BASED STUDY IN METROPOLITAN DETROIT

ANN GROSSBART SCHWARTZ1,, MICHAEL BOEHNKE2 and PATRICIA P. MOLL3,4

1 Division of Epidemiology, Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit, MI
2Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
3Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
4Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI

Reprint requests to Dr. Ann G. Schwartz, Division of Epidemiology, Michigan Cancer Foundation, 110 E. Warren Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

A family risk index was developed that compares the distribution of an endpoint in all families (regardless of disease status) with multiple, random, internal comparison groups. This index incorporates the person-time approach to adjust for risk due to age, birth cohort, sex, and race. It was validated and applied to a population-based sample of 51,714 individuals in 3,277 families from metropolitan Detroit to evaluate the role of familial risk factors in the development of cancer. Interviews took place between June 1973 and July 1977. A measure of familial heterogeneity of risk was used to determine whether cancer risk in families differed from cancer risk in randomly generated comparison groups of the same age, sex, race, birth cohort, and size distributions. For cancers of all sites combined, familial heterogeneity of risk was expressed in the study sample both as lower risk than expected among some families and as higher risk than expected among some families. It is estimated that 27% of the variability in cancer occurrence in the families is due to familial factors.

family characteristics; genetics; neoplasms


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