The 677CT Mutation in 5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase and Colorectal Cancer Risk

摘要

This paper examines whether there is a relationship between a common mutation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene,MTHFR*val, and the risk of colorectal cancer, with or without lymph node metastases.MTHFRgenotypes were ascertained from peripheral leukocyte samples obtained from 200 colorectal patients, including TMN stages I-VI, and from 460 healthy, unrelated adults without colorectal cancer, who served as controls. The frequency of homozygosity for theMTHFR*val/*valgenotype among the colorectal cancer patients was lower (14.0) than among controls (16.1). The latter finding results in an estimatedMTHFR*valallele frequency of 0.41. TheMTHFR*valallele (677C>T) reduces colorectal risk slightly odds ratio (OR), 0.87. However, there was a significantly higher incidence of metastatic lymph nodes per case inMTHFR*val/*valpatients, when compared withMTHFR*ala/*alacontrols (6.9 ± 1.55 vs. 3.7 ± 0.57,p= 0.003). These results suggest that theMTHFRgenotype might be of prognostic significance in colorectal carcinom