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Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms as markers in prostate cancer

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Abstract.

Polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been analyzed in several studies for an association with prostate cancer (PCA) and odds ratios (OR) ≥3 have been observed in study populations from North America. We studied three polymorphisms in the VDR gene (poly-A microsatellite, TaqI and FokI RFLPs) in 105 controls and 132 sporadic PCA cases from France and in a collection of families from Germany and France. The polymorphisms near the 3' end of the gene were in linkage disequilibrium with an almost complete coincidence of the short poly-A alleles and t (presence of the restriction site) of the TaqI polymorphism, (contingency tables, P<0.0001). An association was found by logistic regression for the poly-A between PCA and the heterozygous genotype (S/L; S<17, L≥17, OR=0.44, 95% confidence interval, CI=0.198–0.966, P=0.041). OR was lower in patients ≤70 years old and patients with a Gleason score ≥6. The Tt genotype of the TaqI RFLP also showed an association with PCA (OR=0.5, CI=0.27–0.92, P=0.026). This association was also stronger for patients ≤70 years old (OR=0.31, CI=0.15–0.63, P=0.001). The risk alleles were S and t alleles as indicated by the OR of the homozygotes, although these were not significant. The FokI RFLP at the 5' end of the gene did not reveal any association (P>0.7). While some association studies differ between Europe and North America, our present findings with the VDR gene agree with those from North America, indicating a weak but general role of the VDR in PCA susceptibility.

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Correa-Cerro, L., Berthon, P., Häussler, J. et al. Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms as markers in prostate cancer. Hum Genet 105, 281–287 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004399900119

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004399900119

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