Surnames and cancer genes

The surname analysis of over 40,000 Wisconsin cancer mortalities for the period 1979 through 1985 partially reveals the relative genetic component of various major cancers. The surname frequencies and frequency distributions indicate that both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing genes may be involved. A number of cancers exhibit some probable genetic component, but genetic involvement seems marked in male and female leukemia and male lung cancer. Evidence is found for autosomal and sex-linked, dominant and recessive patterns. Most surprising is the strong evidence for tumor-suppressing genes for most cancers. Clustering of surnames across cancers evinces a number of Wisconsin surnames that may be involved in a cancer family syndrome.