A large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis for the effect of COVID-19 on female-specific cancers

Xunying Zhao; Xueyao Wu; Jinyu Xiao; Li Zhang; Yu Hao; Chenghan Xiao; Ben Zhang; Jiayuan Li; Xia Jiang

iScience (Sep 2023)

A large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis for the effect of COVID-19 on female-specific cancers

Xunying Zhao,
Xueyao Wu,
Jinyu Xiao,
Li Zhang,
Yu Hao,
Chenghan Xiao,
Ben Zhang,
Jiayuan Li,
Xia Jiang

Affiliations

Xunying Zhao: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Xueyao Wu: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Jinyu Xiao: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Li Zhang: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Yu Hao: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Chenghan Xiao: Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Ben Zhang: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Jiayuan Li: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Xia Jiang: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Systems Epidemiology, and West China-PUMC C. C. Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden; Program in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 26, no. 9
p. 107497

Abstract

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Summary: Little is known regarding the long-term adverse effects of COVID-19 on female-specific cancers, nor the shared genetic influences underlying these conditions. We performed a comprehensive genome-wide cross-trait analysis to investigate the shared genetic architecture between COVID-19 (infection, hospitalization, and critical illness) with three female-specific cancers (breast cancer (BC), epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and endometrial cancer (EC)). We identified significant genome-wide genetic correlations with EC for both hospitalization (rg = 0.19, p = 0.01) and critical illness (rg = 0.29, p = 3.00 × 10−4). Mendelian randomization demonstrated no valid association of COVID-19 with any cancer of interest, except for suggestive associations of genetically predicted hospitalization (ORIVW = 1.09, p = 0.04) and critical illness (ORIVW = 1.06, p = 0.04) with EC risk, none withstanding multiple correction. Cross-trait meta-analysis identified 20 SNPs shared between COVID-19 with BC, 15 with EOC, and 5 with EC; and transcriptome-wide association studies revealed multiple shared genes. Findings support intrinsic links underlying these complex traits, highlighting shared mechanisms rather than causal associations.

Published in iScience

ISSN: 2589-0042 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.cell.com/iscience/home

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