Liu et al.9 report higher risks associated with 15q polymorphisms for familial lung cancer. In that small study, risks were increased more than threefold among homozygous carriers of the rare alleles. In this study, the only significant finding of risk among whites, after adjusting for cigarettes per day, was for rs1051730 in those with a family history of lung cancer. A stronger association at this SNP was seen for African Americans with a family history, but risk associated with these SNPs, in general, did not vary greatly between African Americans with and without a family history of lung cancer. Liu et al. included individuals with three or more family members affected, whereas in our study, most subjects with a family history had only one affected relative.
