Distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups in gynecological cancer cases

Abstract

Aims: To investigate the relationship between blood type and gynecological cancers (ovarian, endometrial, and cervical). Methods: In the study, between 2017 and 2022, 457 patient files who underwent surgery for gynecological cancer at İstanbul Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşçıoğlu City Hospital were reviewed. Seventy-eight of these files were excluded from the study due to missing data. Out of the remaining files, 379 were considered suitable for the study. Twenty-five of these were further excluded due to being cases of other gynecological cancers. A total of 354 patients were included in the study (n=354). Participants' sociodemographic data such as age and gender, cancer type, and blood groups (ABO-Rh) were retrospectively collected from patient records and the hospital automation system. Cases with missing data or inaccessible sociodemographic records were excluded from the study. The study was planned retrospectively and observationally. Gynecological cancers were examined in the three most common groups: ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and cervical cancer. The patients' blood group, Rh status, and pathology reports were analyzed. Based on the pathological diagnosis, three groups were initially formed, and below them, Rh and blood group status were noted. The blood group and Rh status in cancer groups were first presented in numbers and then calculated as percentages. Results: The AB+ ratio in cervical cancers was statistically significantly higher compared to the reference article and endometrial cancers (p=0.021, p=0.049). Conclusion: There are studies indicating a significant relationship between blood groups and various diseases. The expression of blood group antigens on blood cells and other epithelial surfaces acting as receptors or signal transducers contributes to these findings. The possibility of ABO antigens serving as receptors in tumor structures caused by infections, such as cervical cancer, should not be overlooked. In this regard, the significantly higher prevalence of cervical cancer in individuals with AB Rh (+) blood type, carrying A, B, and Rh antigens, can be explained concerning the population.