ABSTRACT
Consanguinity increases the chances of homozygosity, and homozygosity of cancer-susceptibility genes was shown to increase the risk of malignancy. Consanguinity is associated with increased cancer risk in younger individuals in studies from Asia, Europe, and North America. Among the citizens of United Arab Emirates [UAE], studies have found that consanguinity rate is around 50% and the relative risk [RR] of cancer in younger individuals with consanguineous parents is between 1.1 ans 2.1. The objective of the study was to estimate: i]the absolute number of cancer cases in UAE that could be attributed to parental consanguinity and ii] the changes that would occur in absolute number of cancer cases as a result of changes in consanguinity rates. These calculations were performed using a population less than 55-year-old, consanguinity rates, relative risk and incidence of cancer. The cancer incidence and population data were obtained from the Cancer Registry of UAE. To examine the changes that would occur in the excess number of cancer cases using different consanguinity rates within the range of RR we used consanguinity rates that varied from 0 to 60% and RR, from 1.1 to 2.1. The calculation shows that among 100.000 individuals younger than 55, between 1.5 and 10 individuals developed cancer attributable to parental consanguinity. The absolute number of cases in the country lies between 10 and 65. The cancer risk attributable to consanguinity is approximately between 9% and 52%. In conclusion, the absolute number of cancer cases in UAE attributable to parental consanguinity is relatively small