PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A M Dunning

Publications and source records attributed to A M Dunning.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Multi-factor dimensionality reduction applied to a large prospective investigation on gene-gene and gene-environment interactions.

It is becoming increasingly evident that single-locus effects cannot explain complex multifactorial human diseases like cancer. We applied the multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method to a large cohort study on gene-environment and gene-gene interactions. The study (case-control nested in the EPIC cohort) was established to investigate molecular changes and genetic susceptibility in relation to air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in non-smokers. We have analyzed 757 controls and 409 cases with bladder cancer (n=124), lung cancer (n=116) and myeloid leukemia (n=169). Thirty-six gene variants (DNA repair and metabolic genes) and three environmental exposure variables (measures of air pollution and ETS at home and at work) were analyzed. Interactions were assessed by prediction error percentage and cross-validation consistency (CVC) frequency. For lung cancer, the best model was given by a significant gene-environment association between the base excision repair (BER) XRCC1-Arg399Gln polymorphism, the double-strand break repair (DSBR) BRCA2-Asn372His polymorphism and the exposure variable 'distance from heavy traffic road', an indirect and robust indicator of air pollution (mean prediction error of 26%, P<0.001, mean CVC of 6.60, P=0.02). For bladder cancer, we found a significant 4-loci association between the BER APE1-Asp148Glu polymorphism, the DSBR RAD52-3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) polymorphism and the metabolic gene polymorphisms COMT-Val158Met and MTHFR-677C>T (mean prediction error of 22%, P<0.001, mean CVC consistency of 7.40, P<0.037). For leukemia, a 3-loci model including RAD52-2259C>T, MnSOD-Ala9Val and CYP1A1-Ile462Val had a minimum prediction error of 31% (P<0.001) and a maximum CVC of 4.40 (P=0.086). The MDR method seems promising, because it provides a limited number of statistically stable interactions; however, the biological interpretation remains to be understood.

Drug Resistance, Multiple↗
PubMed2006

Interactions between genes involved in the antioxidant defence system and breast cancer risk.

The aim of the study is to examine the association between multilocus genotypes across 10 genes encoding proteins in the antioxidant defence system and breast cancer. The 10 genes are SOD1, SOD2, GPX1, GPX4, GSR, CAT, TXN, TXN2, TXNRD1 and TXNRD2. In all, 2271 cases and 2280 controls were used to examine gene-gene interactions between 52 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are hypothesised to tag all common variants in the 10 genes. The statistical analysis is based on three methods: unconditional logistic regression, multifactor dimensionality reduction and hierarchical cluster analysis. We examined all two- and three-way combinations with unconditional logistic regression and multifactor dimensionality reduction, and used a global approach with all SNPs in the hierarchical cluster analysis. Single-locus studies of an association of genetic variants in the antioxidant defence genes and breast cancer have been contradictory and inconclusive. It is the first time, to our knowledge, the association between multilocus genotypes across genes coding for antioxidant defence enzymes and breast cancer is investigated. We found no evidence of an association with breast cancer with our multilocus approach. The search for two-way interactions gave experiment-wise significance levels of P=0.24 (TXN [t2715c] and TXNRD2 [g23524a]) and P=0.58 (GSR [c39396t] and TXNRD2 [a442g]), for the unconditional logistic regression and multifactor dimensionality reduction, respectively. The experiment-wise significance levels for the three-way interactions were P=0.94 (GPX4 [t2572c], TXN [t2715c] and TXNRD2 [g23524a]) and P=0.29 (GSR [c39396t], TXN [t2715c] and TXNRD2 [a442g]) for the unconditional logistic regression and multifactor dimensionality reduction, respectively. In the hierarchical cluster analysis neither the average across four rounds with replacement of missing values at random (P=0.12) nor a fifth round with more balanced proportion of missing values between cases and controls (P=0.17) was significant.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the RB1 gene and association with breast cancer in the British population.

A substantial proportion of the familial risk of breast cancer may be attributable to genetic variants each contributing a small effect. pRb controls the cell cycle and polymorphisms within it are candidates for such low penetrance susceptibility alleles, since the gene has been implicated in several human tumours, particularly breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine whether common variants in the RB1 gene are associated with breast cancer risk. We assessed 15 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using a case-control study design (n< or = 4474 cases and n < or = 4560 controls). A difference in genotype frequencies was found between cases and controls for rs2854344 in intron 17 (P-trend = 0.007) and rs198580 in intron 19 (P-trend = 0.018). Carrying the minor allele of these SNPs appears to confer a protective effect on breast cancer risk (odd ratio (OR) = 0.86 (0.76-0.96) for rs2854344 and OR = 0.80 (0.66-0.96) for rs198580). However, after adjusting for multiple testing these associations were borderline with an adjusted P-trend = 0.068 for the most significant SNP (rs2854344). The RB1 gene is not known to contain any coding SNPs with allele frequencies > or = 5% but several intronic variants are in perfect linkage disequilibrium with the associated SNPs. Replication studies are needed to confirm the associations with breast cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

DNA repair polymorphisms and cancer risk in non-smokers in a cohort study.

Environmental carcinogens contained in air pollution, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines or N-nitroso compounds, predominantly form DNA adducts but can also generate interstrand cross-links and reactive oxygen species. If unrepaired, such lesions increase the risk of somatic mutations and cancer. Our study investigated the relationships between 22 polymorphisms (and their haplotypes) in 16 DNA repair genes belonging to different repair pathways in 1094 controls and 567 cancer cases (bladder cancer, 131; lung cancer, 134; oral-pharyngeal cancer, 41; laryngeal cancer, 47; leukaemia, 179; death from emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 84). The design was a case-control study nested within a prospective investigation. Among the many comparisons, few polymorphisms were associated with the diseases at the univariate analysis: XRCC1-399 Gln/Gln variant homozygotes [odds ratios (OR) = 2.20, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.16-4.17] and XRCC3-241 Met/Met homozygotes (OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.27-0.96) and leukaemia. The recessive model in the stepwise multivariate analysis revealed a possible protective effect of XRCC1-399Gln/Gln in lung cancer (OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.05-0.98), and confirmed an opposite effect (OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.02-6.02) in the leukaemia group. Our results also suggest that the XPD/ERCC1-GAT haplotype may modulate leukaemia (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.02-1.61), bladder cancer (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.06-1.79) and possibly other cancer risks. Further investigations of the combined effects of polymorphisms within these DNA repair genes, smoking and other risk factors may help to clarify the influence of genetic variation in the carcinogenic process.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A candidate gene approach to searching for low-penetrance breast and prostate cancer genes.

Most cases of breast and prostate cancer are not associated with mutations in known high-penetrance genes, indicating the involvement of multiple low-penetrance risk alleles. Studies that have attempted to identify these genes have met with limited success. The National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium--a pooled analysis of multiple large cohort studies with a total of more than 5,000 cases of breast cancer and 8,000 cases of prostate cancer--was therefore initiated. The goal of this consortium is to characterize variations in approximately 50 genes that mediate two pathways that are associated with these cancers--the steroid-hormone metabolism pathway and the insulin-like growth factor signalling pathway--and to associate these variations with cancer risk.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2003

Common polymorphisms in checkpoint kinase 2 are not associated with breast cancer risk.

A substantial proportion of the familial risk of breast cancer may be attributable to genetic variants each contributing a small effect. Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes are good candidates for such low penetrance breast cancer susceptibility alleles. Checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2) is a kinase in which the yeast counterpart regulates a cell cycle checkpoint and causes cells to arrest proliferation after DNA damage. A rare, protein truncating mutation in the CHEK2 gene has recently been shown to confer a modest risk of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine whether common polymorphic variants in CHEK2 are associated with an increase in breast cancer risk. We assessed two variants in CHEK2 using a case control study design (n = 1786 cases and 1828 controls). No differences in genotype frequencies were found between cases and control for either the IVS1 + 38insa or the a1013g polymorphisms (P = 0.3 and 0.2 respectively), and no genotype-specific risk was significantly different from unity. The haplotype frequency distribution in cases and controls were also similar (P = 0.3). We conclude that the CHEK2 polymorphisms IVS + 1a and a1013g do not confer an increased risk of breast cancer. It is also unlikely that other, as yet unidentified, common polymorphisms that affect risk are present in the gene in the British population.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2002

Sampling distribution of summary linkage disequilibrium measures.

The design of association studies is critically dependent upon the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) across different genomic regions, often summarised in terms of the mean absolute value of summary linkage disequilibrium measures. The two most commonly used measures are D' for estimating the magnitude or extent of LD, and Delta which is directly proportional to the power of LD mapping. We studied the sampling distribution of the mean of /D'/ and /Delta/ statistics for varying sample size and major allele frequencies. When the sample size is small or one allele frequency is extreme, estimates of the magnitude of association based on the mean of /D'/ can be substantially inflated. This inflation is more marked when the haplotype frequencies have been inferred from genotype counts. The net effect of this means that smaller studies will tend to show higher levels of LD. The magnitude of this inflation can be reduced by use of a bootstrap correction, and by avoiding using markers with extreme allele frequencies. In contrast, the /Delta/ statistic is much less affected by sample size and high major allele frequencies. These effects are illustrated with real data on 36 SNPs typed in an Ashkenasi Jewish population.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Polymorphisms in CYP1A1 and smoking: no association with breast cancer risk.

Several studies have investigated polymorphisms in CYP1A1 and breast cancer risk with inconsistent results. We have carried out a population based case-control study of the Thr461Asn and Ile462Val polymorphisms in CYP1A1 to clarify their importance in determining breast cancer susceptibility. A total of 1873 cases and 712 controls were genotyped for Thr461Asn and 1948 cases and 1355 controls were genotyped for Ile462Val. We have also investigated a putative interaction between smoking and CYP1A1 genotype and breast cancer risk using a case only study design. The genotype distribution of Thr461Asp in controls was close to that expected under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). We detected no significant differences in genotype frequencies between breast cancer cases and controls (P = 0.68). Compared with the Thr/Thr homozygotes there was no significant risk for either the Thr/Asp heterozygote [OR = 1.1 (95% CI 0.8-1.4)] or the Asp/Asp homozygote [OR = 0.4 (0.02-6.1)]. The genotype distribution of Ile462Val in controls was also close to that expected under HWE with no significant differences between breast cancer cases and the controls (P = 0.44). No significant risk was found for either the Ile/Val heterozygote [OR = 0.8 (0.6-1.1)] or the Val/Val homozygote [OR = 2.7 (0.3-24)] compared with the Ile/Ile homozygotes. Furthermore, subgroup analyses revealed no effect of age or menopausal status on genotypic risks, and we found no evidence for an interaction between genotype and smoking habit or alcohol consumption and susceptibility to breast cancer. We combined our data for the Ile462Val polymorphism with those from four other published studies, but even with >5000 subjects, none of the genotype-associated risks achieved statistical significance, and there was no consistent pattern to the risks associated with increasing Val allele dosage [Ile/Val OR = 0.9 (0.7-1.1), Val/Val OR = 2.3 (0.4-12), and Val carrier OR = 1.0 (0.9-1.1)].

Aged↗
PubMed2000

The extent of linkage disequilibrium in four populations with distinct demographic histories.

The design and feasibility of whole-genome-association studies are critically dependent on the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between markers. Although there has been extensive theoretical discussion of this, few empirical data exist. The authors have determined the extent of LD among 38 biallelic markers with minor allele frequencies >.1, since these are most comparable to the common disease-susceptibility polymorphisms that association studies aim to detect. The markers come from three chromosomal regions-1,335 kb on chromosome 13q12-13, 380 kb on chromosome 19q13.2, and 120 kb on chromosome 22q13.3-which have been extensively mapped. These markers were examined in approximately 1,600 individuals from four populations, all of European origin but with different demographic histories; Afrikaners, Ashkenazim, Finns, and East Anglian British. There are few differences, either in allele frequencies or in LD, among the populations studied. A similar inverse relationship was found between LD and distance in each genomic region and in each population. Mean D' is.68 for marker pairs <5 kb apart and is.24 for pairs separated by 10-20 kb, and the level of LD is not different from that seen in unlinked marker pairs separated by >500 kb. However, only 50% of marker pairs at distances <5 kb display sufficient LD (delta>.3) to be useful in association studies. Results of the present study, if representative of the whole genome, suggest that a whole-genome scan searching for common disease-susceptibility alleles would require markers spaced < or = 5 kb apart.

Africa↗
PubMed2000

Longer polyglutamine tracts in the androgen receptor are associated with moderate to severe undermasculinized genitalia in XY males.

The androgen receptor (AR) is essential to the normal development of the male internal and external genitalia. Consequently, impairment of AR function can result in undermasculinized genitalia that vary from a completely female appearance to isolated hypospadias. Since in vitro studies demonstrate that AR function is reduced by expansion of the polyglutamine tract within the receptor [AR(Gln)(n)]; this study examined whether longer AR(Gln)(n) repeats are associated with moderate to severe undermasculinization. The average AR(Gln)(n) length of the undermasculinized group (n = 78, median 25, interquartile range 23-26) was significantly greater than that of the control population (n = 850, median 23, inter-quartile range 22-26, P = 0.002). The odds ratio of having >/=23 repeats (as opposed to </=22 repeats) in the undermasculinized group was 2.51 (95% confidence interval 1.41-4.48). The estimated increase in the OR for each additional repeat was 9.07%. Hormonal and AR binding data were used to select subgroups of patients that had a reduced likelihood of a sex steroid biosynthetic defect or an AR abnormality. A clear trend was demonstrated in which the mean AR(Gln)(n) length and the odds ratio increased with the rigour of the subgroup selection criteria. Undermasculinization of the male genitalia is a rare example of a non-neurodegenerative, congenital disorder that is associated with triplet repeat allele size. Furthermore, the association of both undermasculinized genitalia and isolated male factor infertility with AR(Gln)(n) length provides additional evidence that they may represent different degrees of severity of the same disease process.

Genitalia, Male↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of DNA repair protein expression and activities between human fibroblast cell lines with different radiosensitivities.

In order to investigate the molecular basis of variation in response to ionising radiation (IR) in radiotherapy patients, we have studied the expression of several genes involved in DNA double-strand break repair pathways in fibroblast cell lines. Ten lines were established from skin biopsies of cancer patients with different normal-tissue reactions to IR, and 3 from a control individual. For all 10 test cell lines, the cellular radiosensitivity was also known. Using Western blots we measured, in non-irradiated cells, the basal expression levels of ATM, Rad1 and Hus1, involved in the control of cellular DNA damage checkpoints, together with DNA-PKcs, Ku70, Ku80; XRCC4, ligaseIV and Rad51, involved in radiation- induced DSB repair. We also analysed the in vitro enzymatic activities, under non-irradiated conditions, of the DNA-PK and XRCC4/ligaseIV complexes. The levels of expression of the different proteins were similar in all the cell lines, but the activities of the DNA-PK and XRCC4/ligaseIV complexes showed some differences. These differences did not correlate with either the normal tissue response of the patient in vivo or with cellular radiation sensitivity in vitro. The activity differences of these enzyme complexes, therefore, do not account for the variation of responses seen between patients.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed2000

A common variant in BRCA2 is associated with both breast cancer risk and prenatal viability.

Inherited mutations in the gene BRCA2 predispose carriers to early onset breast cancer, but such mutations account for fewer than 2% of all cases in East Anglia. It is likely that low penetrance alleles explain the greater part of inherited susceptibility to breast cancer; polymorphic variants in strongly predisposing genes, such as BRCA2, are candidates for this role. BRCA2 is thought to be involved in DNA double strand break-repair. Few mice in which Brca2 is truncated survive to birth; of those that do, most are male, smaller than their normal littermates and have high cancer incidence. Here we show that a common human polymorphism (N372H) in exon 10 of BRCA2 confers an increased risk of breast cancer: the HH homozygotes have a 1.31-fold (95% CI, 1.07-1.61) greater risk than the NN group. Moreover, in normal female controls of all ages there is a significant deficiency of homozygotes compared with that expected from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, whereas in males there is an excess of homozygotes: the HH group has an estimated fitness of 0.82 in females and 1.38 in males. Therefore, this variant of BRCA2 appears also to affect fetal survival in a sex-dependent manner.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Polymorphisms in the human aromatase cytochrome P450 gene (CYP19) and breast cancer risk.

The aromatase enzyme catalyses the conversion of androgens to oestrogens in the oestrogen biosynthesis pathway. Because increased exposure to oestrogens is considered to be a risk factor for breast cancer, the human aromatase gene (CYP19) is a plausible candidate for low penetrance breast cancer susceptibility. Preliminary reports have suggested that specific alleles of a TTTA repeat may be associated with differences in breast cancer risk. We have identified two new polymorphisms in the CYP19 gene: a TCT insertion/deletion in intron 4 and a G-->T substitution in intron 6, which have rare allele frequencies of 0.35 and 0.45, respectively, in the British population. Comparison was made between the frequencies of these alleles and those of the TTTA repeat in up to 599 breast cancer cases and 433 normal controls from the East Anglian, British population. We found strong linkage disequilibrium between the alleles of these three loci, but no significant association of any alleles with breast cancer risk. The maximum odds ratios observed were: 1.03 (95% CI 0.68-1.55) for the intron 4 TCT insertion/deletion polymorphism [del/del versus ins/ins]; 1.56 (95% CI 0.63-3.83) for the intron 4 [TTTA](10) allele; 1.29 (95% CI 0. 75-2.21) for the intron 6 G-->T polymorphism [TT versus GG]. We conclude that the CYP19 gene has no major role in common breast cancer incidence in the British population.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Determination of the frequency of the common 657Del5 Nijmegen breakage syndrome mutation in the German population: no association with risk of breast cancer.

Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is an autosomal recessive chromosomal instability syndrome characterized by microcephaly, growth retardation, immunodeficiency, and cancer predisposition. It shares a number of features with the Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) syndrome: the most notable are high sensitivity to ionizing radiation and predisposition to cancer. Recently, the gene responsible for NBS has been identified on chromosome band 8q21. It encodes a DNA double-strand break repair protein, named Nibrin. A truncating 5-bp deletion (657Del5) has been identified in 90% of NBS patients and this is presumed to be of Slavic origin. There is evidence that heterozygous AT mutation carriers are predisposed to breast cancer. Since the NBS phenotype at the cellular level is very similar to AT, we have screened 477 German breast cancer patients, aged under 51 years, and 866 matched controls for the common NBS mutation. We have identified one carrier among the cases and one among the controls, indicating that the population frequency of this NBS mutation is 1 in 866 people (95% CI = 1 in 34,376 to 1 in 156) and the estimated prevalence of NBS is thus 1 in 3 million people. The proportion of breast cancer attributable to this mutation is less than 1%. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 25:393-395, 1999.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1999

Identification of a C/G polymorphism in the promoter region of the BRCA1 gene and its use as a marker for rapid detection of promoter deletions.

Reduced expression of BRCA1 has been implicated in sporadic breast cancer, although the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. To determine whether regulatory mutations could account for the reduced expression, we screened the promoter region by sequencing in 20 patients with sporadic disease. No mutations were detected; however, a new polymorphism consisting of a C-to-G base change within the beta-promoter was identified, with the frequency of the G allele being 0.34. Close to complete linkage disequilibrium was found between this marker and the Pro871 Leu polymorphism, situated in exon 11, which has previously been shown not to be associated with breast or ovarian cancer. This indicates that the C/G polymorphism is also unlikely to play a role in either disease. However, the strength of linkage disequilibrium between these markers permitted their use for rapid screening for genomic deletions within BRCA1. A series of 214 cases with familial breast cancer were analysed using this approach; 88/214 were heterozygous for the promoter polymorphism, thereby excluding a deletion in this region. Among the remaining patients, one hemizygous case reflecting a promoter deletion was successfully identified. Therefore, this study indicates that deletions within the beta-promoter region of BRCA1 are an uncommon event in familial breast cancer. Furthermore, it suggests that mutations within the BRCA1 promoter are unlikely to account for the reported decreased expression of BRCA1 in sporadic disease.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1999

No association between androgen or vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and risk of breast cancer.

Endogenous hormone exposure is known to alter breast cancer susceptibility and genes responsive to such hormones are plausible candidates for predisposition genes. We have examined polymorphisms in genes for two members of the nuclear receptor superfamily which are expressed in breast tissue and known to moderate rates of cell proliferation in a case-control association study: the androgen receptor (AR) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR). We have used two series of Caucasian female breast cancer cases, one incident and one prevalent, and compared both with two sets of matched controls from the East Anglian region of Britain. Since the results are similar in the two series we have combined them. The AR poly[Gly](n) and poly[Gln](n) tracts were genotyped in a total of 508 female breast cancer cases and 426 controls. The VDR TaqI polymorphism was analysed in 951 cases and 627 controls drawn from the same population series. There were no significant differences between cases and controls for either the AR or VDR polymorphisms. Compared with individuals with two short alleles (<22 repeats) of the AR poly[Gln](n) tract, the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for individuals with one or two long alleles were 0.82 (95% CI 0.62-1.09) and 1.31 (95% CI 0.87-1.97), respectively. Heterozygotes and homozygotes for the VDR TaqI cutting site had odds ratios of 1.01 (95% CI 0.81-1.27) and 0.97 (95% CI 0.71-1.32), respectively. None of the AR or VDR polymorphisms investigated has a major effect on risk of breast cancer in the British population.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A systematic review of genetic polymorphisms and breast cancer risk.

Studies investigating the relationship between common genetic variants and cancer risk are being reported with rapidly increasing frequency. We have identified 46 published case-control studies that have examined the effect of common alleles of 18 different genes on breast cancer risk. Of these, 12 report statistically significant associations, none of which were reported by more than one study. However, many of the studies were small: 10 of the 46 had 80% power or greater to detect a rare allele homozygote relative risk <2.5. We therefore combined the results of individual studies to obtain more precise estimates of risk. Statistically significant differences in genotype frequencies were found in three case-control comparisons of unselected cases. These were for CYP19 (TTTA)n polymorphism [(TTTA)10 carrier odds ratio (OR) = 2.33; P = 0.002], the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism (Val carrier OR = 1.60; P = 0.02), and the TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism (Pro carrier OR = 1.27; P = 0.03). In addition, the GSTM1 gene deletion was found to be significantly associated with postmenopausal breast cancer (null homozygote OR = 1.33; P = 0.04). There was also some evidence that homozygotes for the PR PROGINS allele are protected against breast cancer, although this result was of borderline statistical significance. For polymorphisms in BRCA1, COMT, CYP17, CYP1A1, NAT1, and NAT2, the best estimate of risk either from the individual studies or the meta-analyses was sufficiently precise to exclude a relative risk of 1.5 or greater. For the polymorphisms in EDH17B2, ER, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, GSTT1, HSP70, and TNFalpha, the risk estimates, although nonsignificant, were insufficiently precise to exclude a moderate risk (>1.5). Precise estimation of the risks associated with these and other as yet untested genes, as well as investigation of more complex risks arising from gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, will require much larger studies.

Alleles↗
PubMed1998

No association between a polymorphism in the steroid metabolism gene CYP17 and risk of breast cancer.

A recent study showed an association between a single base substitution, T-->C, in the promotor region of the CYP17 gene, the risk of breast cancer and age at menarche in Asian, African-American and Latino women from California and Hawaii. The C allele was associated with increased risk of breast cancer, significantly so for patients presenting with advanced disease, whereas the TT genotype was associated with later age at menarche in control subjects. We attempted to confirm these findings in a large case-control study in East Anglia, England (835 cases and 591 control subjects). We found no evidence of an increased risk of breast cancer [odds ratio (OR) 1.10, confidence interval (CI) 0.89-1.37] or advanced breast cancer (OR 0.88, CI 0.38-2.01) in C allele carriers, nor any association between age at menarche and genotype. We conclude that these alleles do not significantly alter breast cancer risk in the English population.

Aged↗