Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: It has been difficult to identify factors that affect the risk of cancer but we know that people are at higher risk as they get older, or have a strong family history of cancer. The potential influence of environmental and behavioral factors remains poorly understood.

Aim: To study associations between PA and family history of malignancy in first-degree and second-degree relatives. As separate analysis, to study associations between PA patients diagnosed with cancer and their family history of malignancy.

Patients and methods: We reviewed clinical records for 485 patients with PA (acromegaly, n=121; nonfunctioning PA-NFPA, n=206; prolactinoma, n=158) from the period 2000–2012.

Results: Fifty percent of patients with PA had a family member affected with cancer. Thirty-four percent of NFPA patients and 27% of acromegalics had the first-degree relative(s) with cancer, significantly higher than patients with prolactinoma (19%; P<0.006). On the contrary, 41% of patients with prolactinoma had the second-degree relative(s) with cancer, significantly higher than patients with NFPA or acromegaly (23 and 25% of patients, respectively; P<0.0001). According to PA type, 16% of patients with prolactinoma had a family member with breast cancer, significantly higher than patients with NFPA (11%) or acromegaly (7%, P<0.05). 11% of patients with prolactinoma had a family member with colorectal cancer, significantly higher than patients with NFPA (6%) or acromegaly (4%; P<0.05). Separate analysis of PA patients diagnosed with cancer and their family history of malignancy, shows that 39/485 PA patients had cancer of any type (acromegaly, 13/121; NFPA, 17/206; prolactinoma, 9/158). Eighteen of these PA patients diagnosed with cancer had a strong family history of malignancy, particularly NFPA patients (NFPA, n=14; acromegaly, n=2; prolactinoma, n=2; P<0.05).Twenty-one PA patients diagnosed with cancer did not have a family history of malignancy (NFPA, n=3; acromegaly, n=11; prolactinoma, n=7).

Conclusions: i) The results suggest presence of associated tumors in families of patients with PA (in 50%); ii) There is a strong association of prolactinoma with breast and colorectal cancers diagnosed in their families; iii) 46% of PA patients who were diagnosed with cancer had a strong family history of malignancy, in particular those with NFPA.