Background: Although increased height has been associated with osteosarcoma risk in previous epidemiologic studies, the relative contribution of stature during different developmental time-points remains unclear. Furthermore, how genetic determinants of height impact osteosarcoma etiology remains unexplored. Genetic variants associated with stature in previous genome-wide association studies may be biomarkers of osteosarcoma risk. Methods: We tested the associations between osteosarcoma risk and polygenic scores for adult height (416 variants), childhood height, (six variants), and birth length (five variants) in 864 osteosarcoma patients and 1879 controls of European ancestry. Results: Each standard deviation increase in the polygenic score for adult height, corresponding to a 1.7-cm increase in stature, was associated with a 1.10-fold increase in risk of osteosarcoma (95% CI: 1.01–1.19, P= 0.027). Each standard deviation increase in the polygenic score for childhood height, corresponding to a 0.5-cm increase in stature, was associated with a 1.10-fold increase in risk of osteosarcoma (95% CI: 1.01–1.20, P= 0.023). The polygenic score for birth length was not associated with osteosarcoma risk (P=0.11). When adult and childhood height scores were modeled together, they were independently associated with osteosarcoma risk (P=0.037 and 0.043, respectively). An eQTL for CILP2 (cartilage intermediate layer protein 2), rs8103992, was significantly associated with osteosarcoma risk after adjustment for multiple comparisons (OR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.16–1.56, P=7.93×10−5, Padjusted=0.034). Conclusions: Genetic propensity to taller adult and childhood height attainments contributed independently to osteosarcoma risk in our data. These results suggest that the biological pathways affecting normal bone growth may be involved in osteosarcoma etiology.

Osteosarcoma, a malignant primary bone tumor most commonly diagnosed in children and adolescents, has a poorly understood genetic etiology. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and candidate-gene analyses have identified putative risk variants in subjects of European ancestry. However, despite higher incidence among African-American and Hispanic children, little is known regarding common heritable variation that contributes to osteosarcoma incidence and clinical presentation across racial/ethnic groups. In a multi-ethnic sample of non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, African-American and Asian/Pacific Islander children (537 cases, 2165 controls), we performed association analyses assessing previously-reported loci for osteosarcoma risk and metastasis, including meta-analysis across racial/ethnic groups. We also assessed a previously described association between genetic predisposition to longer leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and osteosarcoma risk in this independent multi-ethnic dataset. In our sample, we were unable to replicate previously-reported loci for osteosarcoma risk or metastasis detected in GWAS of European-ancestry individuals in either ethnicity-stratified analyses or meta-analysis across ethnic groups. Our analyses did confirm that genetic predisposition to longer LTL is a risk factor for

Abstract Background Ependymoma is a histologically defined central nervous system tumor most commonly occurring in childhood. Population-level incidence differences by race/ethnicity are observed, with individuals of European ancestry at highest risk. We aimed to determine whether extent of European genetic ancestry is associated with ependymoma risk in US populations. Methods In a multi-ethnic study of Californian children (327 cases, 1970 controls), we estimated the proportions of European, African, and Native American ancestry among recently admixed Hispanic and African American subjects and estimated European admixture among non-Hispanic white subjects using genome-wide data. We tested whether genome-wide ancestry differences were associated with ependymoma risk and performed admixture mapping to identify associations with local ancestry. We also evaluated race/ethnicity-stratified ependymoma incidence data from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS). Results CBTRUS data revealed that African American and Native American children have 33% and 36%, respectively, reduced incidence of ependymoma compared with non-Hispanic whites. In genetic analyses, a 20% increase in European ancestry was associated with a 1.31-fold higher odds of ependymoma among self-reported Hispanics and African Americans (95% CI: 1.08–1.59, Pmeta = 6.7 × 10−3). Additionally, eastern European ancestral substructure was associated with increased ependymoma risk in non-Hispanic whites (P = 0.030) and in Hispanics (P = 0.043). Admixture mapping revealed a peak at 20p13 associated with increased local European ancestry, and targeted fine-mapping identified a lead variant at rs6039499 near RSPO4 (odds ratio = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.45–2.73; P = 2.2 × 10−5) but which was not validated in an independent set of posterior fossa type A patients. Conclusions Interethnic differences in ependymoma risk are recapitulated in the genomic ancestry of ependymoma patients, implicating regions to target in future association studies.