Genetic analysis of the vitamin D receptor gene in two epithelial cancers: melanoma and breast cancer case-control studies
2008

Vitamin D Receptor Gene and Cancer Risk

Sample size: 1388 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Eva Barroso, Lara P. Fernandez, Roger L. Milne, Guillermo Pita, Elena Sendagorta, Uxua Floristan, Marta Feito, Jose A. Aviles, Manuel Martin-Gonzalez, Jose I. Arias, Pilar Zamora, Monserrat Blanco, Pablo Lazaro, Javier Benitez, Gloria Ribas

Primary Institution: Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain

Hypothesis

The VDR gene may influence cancer risk in breast cancer and malignant melanoma in a southern European population.

Conclusion

The study found associations between SNPs in the VDR gene and breast cancer risk, with potential implications for melanoma.

Supporting Evidence

  • An association with the minor allele A of the SNP rs2228570 was observed for breast cancer.
  • The synonymous variant rs731236 appeared to be associated with protection from breast cancer.
  • No significant associations with melanoma were observed for any SNP.
  • Sub-group analyses revealed associations between certain SNPs and clinical characteristics.

Takeaway

This study looked at how certain genes related to vitamin D might affect the risk of getting breast cancer and skin cancer in people from Spain.

Methodology

The study involved case-control analyses of breast cancer and melanoma patients, genotyping four SNPs in the VDR gene.

Potential Biases

Potential for selection bias due to volunteer participation of controls.

Limitations

The sample size was relatively limited, which may affect the statistical power of the findings.

Participant Demographics

All participants were Caucasian and of Spanish origin.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.036

Confidence Interval

95% CI = 1.02–1.57

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2407-8-385

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