The 11q23 locus, associated with a gender-independent increased rectal cancer risk and a moderate colonic cancer risk, maps to a 60 kb region on human chromosome 11 containing 3 ORFs (C11orf53, FLJ45803, LOC120376) and a nearby gene involved in humoral immune response, POU2AF1 [36]. This evidence concerns the gene POU2AF2 and rectal cancer.