What is it about?

We performed a case-control study of 158 bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cases and 316 controls to investigate the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, A1298G, and G1793A polymorphisms and bladder cancer susceptibility by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RLFP) technique.

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Why is it important?

Bladder cancer incidences vary significantly worldwide, suggesting that there is a variation in individual susceptibility to develop bladder cancer in the general population. The lowest incidence rate is in Eastern Europe and many parts of Asia and the highest in North America and Western Europe. Bladder cancer has multifactorial etiology, including interactions between genetic background and environmental factors. Tobacco smoking is one of the strongest known risk factors for bladder cancer, accounting for 50% of cases in men and 35% in women. More than 60 carcinogens have been described in cigarette smoke. Among these are oxidants and highly reactive free radicals. Vitamin B12 is a strong antioxidant. High intakes of folate and B vitamins (B12, B6, and B2) are associated with significant decreases in bladder cancer risk.

Perspectives

MTHFR A1298C has been reported to be in negative linkage disequilibrium with C677T [41, 42]. Our results provide further evidence for linkage disequilibrium between the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and suggested that the 1793A allele is also in linkage disequilibrium with both C677T and A1298C polymorphisms. Our selection of the risk allele was based on both published data on the effect of the MTHFR genotypes on serum ratio of folate/homocysteine levels and the association data generated from this study. Our data concerning serum tHcy and folate levels were generally in line with the largest correlation study.

Dr Mohammad Reza Safarinejad
University of Medical Sceices

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This page is a summary of: Genetic susceptibility of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T, A1298C, and G1793A polymorphisms with risk for bladder transitional cell carcinoma in men, Medical Oncology, October 2010, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s12032-010-9723-9.
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