TY - JOUR
T1 - Causal relationships between risk of venous thromboembolism and 18 cancers
T2 - a bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis
AU - InterLymph Consortium
AU - INVENT-MVP Consortium
AU - Cornish, Naomi
AU - Haycock, Philip
AU - Brenner, Hermann
AU - Figueiredo, Jane C.
AU - Galesloot, Tessel E.
AU - Grant, Robert C.
AU - Johansson, Mattias
AU - Mariosa, Daniela
AU - McKay, James
AU - Pai, Rish
AU - Pellatt, Andrew J.
AU - Samadder, N. Jewel
AU - Shi, Jianxin
AU - Thibord, Florian
AU - Trégouët, David Alexandre
AU - Voegele, Catherine
AU - Thirlwell, Chrissie
AU - Mumford, Andrew
AU - Langdon, Ryan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.
PY - 2024/2/1
Y1 - 2024/2/1
N2 - Background: People with cancer experience high rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Risk of subsequent cancer is also increased in people experiencing their first VTE. The causal mechanisms underlying this association are not completely understood, and it is unknown whether VTE is itself a risk factor for cancer. Methods: We used data from large genome-wide association study meta-analyses to perform bidirectional Mendelian randomization analyses to estimate causal associations between genetic liability to VTE and risk of 18 different cancers. Results: We found no conclusive evidence that genetic liability to VTE was causally associated with an increased incidence of cancer, or vice versa. We observed an association between liability to VTE and pancreatic cancer risk [odds ratio for pancreatic cancer: 1.23 (95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.40) per log-odds increase in VTE risk, P ¼ 0.002]. However, sensitivity analyses revealed this association was predominantly driven by a variant proxying non-O blood group, with inadequate evidence to suggest a causal relationship. Conclusions: These findings do not support the hypothesis that genetic liability to VTE is a cause of cancer. Existing observational epidemiological associations between VTE and cancer are therefore more likely to be driven by pathophysiological changes which occur in the setting of active cancer and anti-cancer treatments. Further work is required to explore and synthesize evidence for these mechanisms.
AB - Background: People with cancer experience high rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Risk of subsequent cancer is also increased in people experiencing their first VTE. The causal mechanisms underlying this association are not completely understood, and it is unknown whether VTE is itself a risk factor for cancer. Methods: We used data from large genome-wide association study meta-analyses to perform bidirectional Mendelian randomization analyses to estimate causal associations between genetic liability to VTE and risk of 18 different cancers. Results: We found no conclusive evidence that genetic liability to VTE was causally associated with an increased incidence of cancer, or vice versa. We observed an association between liability to VTE and pancreatic cancer risk [odds ratio for pancreatic cancer: 1.23 (95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.40) per log-odds increase in VTE risk, P ¼ 0.002]. However, sensitivity analyses revealed this association was predominantly driven by a variant proxying non-O blood group, with inadequate evidence to suggest a causal relationship. Conclusions: These findings do not support the hypothesis that genetic liability to VTE is a cause of cancer. Existing observational epidemiological associations between VTE and cancer are therefore more likely to be driven by pathophysiological changes which occur in the setting of active cancer and anti-cancer treatments. Further work is required to explore and synthesize evidence for these mechanisms.
KW - Mendelian randomization
KW - deep vein thrombosis
KW - genetic epidemiology
KW - malignancy
KW - pulmonary embolus
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U2 - 10.1093/ije/dyad170
DO - 10.1093/ije/dyad170
M3 - Article
C2 - 38124529
AN - SCOPUS:85184835463
SN - 0300-5771
VL - 53
JO - International journal of epidemiology
JF - International journal of epidemiology
IS - 1
M1 - dyad170
ER -