Genetic risk for overall cancer and the benefit of adherence to a healthy lifestyle

Researchers at Nanjing Medical University (China) constructed an incidence-weighted overall cancer polygenic risk score (CPRS) based on 20 cancer site-specific PRSs. Validation using UK Biobank data (n=442,501) showed that compared with participants at low genetic risk (bottom quintile of CPRS), those at intermediate (Q2-4) and high (Q5) genetic risk had overall cancer hazard ratios of 1.27 and 1.91, respectively, for men and 1.21 and 1.62, respectively, for women. There was a joint effect of genetic and lifestyle factors on overall cancer risk, with HRs reaching 2.99 for men and 2,38 for women comparing high genetic risk plus unfavorable lifestyle versus low genetic risk plus favorable lifestyle. The authors conclude that CPRS identifies individuals at high genetic risk of overall cancer; these individuals can attenuate their risk by adopting a healthy lifestyle.