Even a half-sibling with colon cancer is a high risk factor
Half-siblings of people with colon cancer have nearly the same colon cancer risk as full siblings do — a 6% cumulative lifetime risk compared with 7% — and a higher risk than other second-degree relatives have, researchers recently reported. The risk may be due both to genetics and to shared environmental factors, and the finding suggests that even having a half-sibling with colorectal cancer should be considered a high risk factor.