Incidence of ABO and Rh blood groups in human cancers and the concomitant expression level differences of the A, B and Rh antigens

Several studies have established an association between the ABO blood group and different cancer types.It is suspected that these relationships between blood group antigens (BGAs) and cancers extend beyond their demographic distributions and may involve mutations in genes encoding these BGAs.In the present study, blood samples from cancer patients were typed for ABO and Rh blood groups to examine the associations of specific BGAs with different types of cancer.Further, the concomitant differences in BGAs' expression levels were determined using the hemagglutination assay (HA).The cancer types studied included mostly carcinomas (CAs), sarcomas, lymphomas, and leukemias, as well as certain other types such as gliomas and hepatomas.The results indicated that blood group O was the most prevalent among the various cancer types studied, and that most samples were Rhesus (Rh)positive.The BGA expression levels varied significantly among cancer types.The HA titre for the BGA A and B was highest in CAs, whereas the lowest titre values for these BGAs were found in non-CAs, such as acute leukemia.Interestingly, the HA titre values for almost all BGAs differed between samples obtained from the same patients over a 24 h interval.Although the exact mechanism of these differences is not yet ascertained, the very fact that they occur provides a new angle on the implications of BGAs in human cancers.