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The MTHFR 677C→T polymorphism and risk of prostate cancer: results from the CAPS study

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Abstract

The methylenetetrahydrafolate reductase (MTHFR) enzyme may influence cancer development by affecting DNA methylation, synthesis and repair. The MTHFR 677C→T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been associated with decreased enzyme activity and has therefore been implicated in cancer development. We analyzed the MTHFR 677C→T SNP in 2,777 incident prostate cancer cases and 1,639 population controls from the CAncer Prostate in Sweden study (CAPS). No significant association was found overall between prostate cancer risk and the 677C→T SNP (p = 0.27) with heterozygote (CT) and homozygote (TT) allele carriers showing ORs of 1.12 (95% CI: 0.98–1.27) and 1.02 (95% CI: 0.80–1.30), respectively. In the subgroup of low risk prostate cancer, heterozygote—but not homozygote—allele carriers displayed a slight over-risk with an OR of 1.21 (95% CI: 1.03–1.41). Among men under 65 years of age, the 677C→T SNP was associated with prostate cancer risk (p = 0.007), with odds ratios of 1.33 (95% CI: 1.09–1.63) for heterozygote allele carriers and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.6–1.24) for homozygote allele carriers. However, this association was attributed to a shift in the genotype distribution in the young controls. In conclusion, our results do not provide strong support for the hypothesis that the MTHFR 677C→T polymorphism is related to prostate cancer risk.

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank all study participants in the CAPS study, Ulrika Undén for skillfully coordinating the study at Karolinska Institute, Lotta Spångberg, Berit Andersson and Britt Eriksson conducting thorough interviews, all urologists whose patients were included in the CAPS study, and all urologists who provided clinical data to the National Prostate Cancer Register. We also thank Karin Andersson, Susan Lindh, Gabriella Thorén-Berglund and Margareta Åswärd at the Regional Cancer Registries in Umeå, Uppsala, Stockholm-Gotland and Linköping, respectively. In addition, we thank Sören Holmgren and the personnel at the Medical Biobank in Umeå for skillfully handling the blood samples. This work was funded by World Cancer Research Fund (2006/10), the County council of Västerbotten, Sweden, the Swedish Cancer Society (4620-B05-05XBC), and the Lions Cancer Foundation, Umeå, Sweden (LP 06-1696).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, 901 85, Sweden

    Mattias Johansson & Pär Stattin

  2. Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden

    Bethany Van Guelpen

  3. Department of Medical Biosciences, Clinical Chemistry, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden

    Johan Hultdin

  4. Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Fredrik Wiklund, Hans-Olov Adami, Katarina Bälter & Henrik Grönberg

  5. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Hans-Olov Adami

Authors
  1. Mattias Johansson
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  2. Bethany Van Guelpen
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  3. Johan Hultdin
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  4. Fredrik Wiklund
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  5. Hans-Olov Adami
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  6. Katarina Bälter
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  7. Henrik Grönberg
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  8. Pär Stattin
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Correspondence to Mattias Johansson.

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Johansson, M., Van Guelpen, B., Hultdin, J. et al. The MTHFR 677C→T polymorphism and risk of prostate cancer: results from the CAPS study. Cancer Causes Control 18, 1169–1174 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-007-9055-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-007-9055-z

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