These 6 cancer risk pathways were shared among six cancer datasets: “Anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) -mediated degradation of cell cycle proteins”, “Cyclin B2 mediated events”, “PLK1 signaling events”, “Mitotic Prometaphase”, “Beta defensins” and “Defensins” pathways (Supplementary Table 1) and were thus termed as common cancer risk pathways. This evidence concerns the gene PLK1 and cancer.