Influence of ABO blood group and rhesus factor on breast cancer risk: A retrospective analysis

Background and objective: Discussions surrounding the influence of ABO blood groups and Rh factor expressions on the development and progression of breast cancer has persisted over an extended period of time. This study sought to explore the connections between blood group/Rh and occurrence of breast cancer. Additionally, it aimed to elucidate the associations between blood group/Rh and some important prognostic characteristics in breast cancer, such as tumor grade and disease stage. Methods: The study was retrospective observational analysis performed in Rizgary Teaching Hospital’s Oncology Center in Erbil during the years 2021 and 2022 to investigate the associations between ABO blood group/Rh factor and the risk of breast cancer, including impacts on both the occurrence and the tumor characteristics. Results: Upon analyzing 303 patients with breast cancer, the study disclosed a lack of statistically significant link between blood group/Rh and the occurrence of breast cancer when compared to the control group, as evidenced by a p-value of 0.608 for ABO blood group and 0.838 for Rh factor associations. Moreover, examination of a smaller subset of 187 patients revealed no statistically significant influence of blood group/Rh factor on either the tumor grade (P = 0.319 for ABO and P = 0.710 for Rh) or the disease stage of breast cancer (P = 0.925 for ABO and P = 0.876 for Rh). Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of dispelling potential misconceptions, suggesting that blood groups may not be a decisive factor in predicting or understanding breast cancer. This may contribute to refining medical perspectives and guiding more targeted avenues for future research.