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Current guidelines suggest that history of colorectal cancer (CRC) in a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, daughter/son) raises an individual's risk for CRC and that extra risk is present if multiple first-degree relatives are affected or if a single first-degree relative develops CRC at age 60 or younger. Do individuals also have excess risk for CRC if a second-degree relative (grandparent, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew) or even a third-degree relative (first cousin) is affected?
To find out, investigators used the Utah Population Database to evaluate >2.3 million individuals for whom ≥3 generations of health and genealogy data were available. Of this group, >10,000 individuals (probands) had received a primary diagnosis of CRC. The researc…