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Cross-Cancer Genome-Wide Association Study of Endometrial Cancer and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Identifies Genetic Risk Regions Associated with Risk of Both Cancers

  • AOCS Group
  • , AOCS Group
  • Centre for Cancer Research
  • The University of Sydney
  • Population Health Department
  • Queensland Institute of Medical Research
  • Netherlands Cancer Institute
  • University of Cambridge
  • Radboud University Nijmegen
  • Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation
  • Roswell Park Cancer Institute
  • KU Leuven
  • Hunter New England Health
  • University of Newcastle
  • Centro de Investigación Biomédicaen Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)
  • Instituto de Salud Publica, Pamplona
  • Navarra Medical Research Institute
  • Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
  • Duke University
  • Russian Academy of Sciences
  • University Health Network
  • University of Bergen
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Westmead Hospital
  • Cancer Council Victoria
  • University of Melbourne
  • Royal Melbourne Hospital
  • Helsinki University Hospital
  • Vanderbilt University
  • University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • Moffitt Cancer Center
  • University of New Mexico
  • Alberta Health Services
  • Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN
  • Harvard University
  • University of Utah
  • Hannover Medical School
  • Kliniken Essen-Mitte
  • Praxis für Humangenetik
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of California at Los Angeles
  • Imperial College London
  • Demokritos National Centre for Scientific Research
  • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  • American Cancer Society

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests a relationship between endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. Independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer have identified 16 and 27 risk regions, respectively, four of which overlap between the two cancers. We aimed to identify joint endometrial and ovarian cancer risk loci by performing a meta-analysis of GWAS summary statistics from these two cancers. Methods: Using LDScore regression, we explored the genetic correlation between endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. To identify loci associated with the risk of both cancers, we implemented a pipeline of statistical genetic analyses (i.e., inverse-variance meta-analysis, colocalization, and M-values) and performed analyses stratified by subtype. Candidate target genes were then prioritized using functional genomic data. Results: Genetic correlation analysis revealed significant genetic correlation between the two cancers (rG = 0.43, P = 2.66 × 10-5). We found seven loci associated with risk for both cancers (PBonferroni < 2.4 × 10-9). In addition, four novel subgenome-wide regions at 7p22.2, 7q22.1, 9p12, and 11q13.3 were identified (P < 5 × 10-7). Promoter-associated HiChIP chromatin loops from immortalized endometrium and ovarian cell lines and expression quantitative trait loci data highlighted candidate target genes for further investigation. Conclusions: Using cross-cancer GWAS meta-analysis, we have identified several joint endometrial and ovarian cancer risk loci and candidate target genes for future functional analysis. Impact: Our research highlights the shared genetic relationship between endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. Further studies in larger sample sets are required to confirm our findings.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)217-228
Number of pages12
JournalCancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention
Volume30
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2021

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