Acquired or inherited mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor gene are causally linked to colorectal cancer. Given the significance of APC in colorectal cancer, we investigated the association between common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the APC gene and the odds of developing metachronous colorectal adenomas as a surrogate measure of colorectal cancer risk. Coding SNPs at codons 486, 1678, 1822, 1960, and 2502 were analyzed in a total of 1,399 subjects who participated in two randomized clinical trials for the prevention of colorectal adenomas. No association was found for any single SNP and the odds of metachronous adenoma. In contrast, a TA haplotype (codons 486 and 1822) was associated with a statistically significant 27% and 26% reduction in the odds of any and nonadvanced metachronous adenoma after adjustment for baseline adenoma characteristics [odds ratio (OR), 0.73; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.59-0.91 and OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.57-0.94], respectively. No significant reduction in odds was observed for advanced metachronous lesions. Diplotype analysis revealed a strong gene dose effect with carriers of two alleles containing TT-AA (codons 486 and 1822, respectively) having an 89% lower odds for advanced metachronous adenomas (OR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.01-0.80) when compared with the common CC-AA diplotype (codons 486 and 1822, respectively). Our findings support an important role for germ-line allele sequence in the APC gene and individual risk of metachronous adenomatous polyps.