PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Daehee Kang

Publications and source records attributed to Daehee Kang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The Application of Preventive Medicine in the Future Digital Health Era.

A number of seismic shifts are expected to reshape the future of medicine. The global population is rapidly aging, significantly impacting the global disease burden. Medicine is undergoing a paradigm shift, defining and diagnosing diseases at earlier stages and shifting the health care focus from treating diseases to preventing them. The application and purview of digital medicine are expected to broaden significantly. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the shift toward predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory (P4) medicine, and has identified health care accessibility, affordability, and patient empowerment as core values in the future digital health era. This "left shift" toward preventive care is anticipated to redefine health care, emphasizing health promotion over disease treatment. In the future, the traditional triad of preventive medicine-primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention-will be realized with technologies such as genomics, artificial intelligence, bioengineering and wearable devices, and telemedicine. Breast cancer and diabetes serve as case studies to demonstrate how these technologies such as personalized risk assessment, artificial intelligence-assisted and app-based technologies, have been developed and commercialized to provide personalized preventive care, identifying those at a higher risk and providing instructions and interventions for healthier lifestyles and improved quality of life. Overall, preventive medicine and the use of advanced technology will hold great potential for improving health care outcomes in the future.

Humans↗

Genetic polymorphism of XRCC3 Thr241Met and breast cancer risk: case-control study in Korean women and meta-analysis of 12 studies.

To evaluate the relationship of genetic polymorphism in XRCC3 Thr(241)Met and the risk of breast cancer, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Korea. Histologically confirmed breast cancer cases (n = 574) and controls (n = 502) with no present or previous history of cancer were recruited from several teaching hospitals in Seoul during 1995-2001. Information on demographic characteristics and other information were collected by interviewed questionnaire. Genetic polymorphisms of XRCC3 Thr(241)Met (C > T) was determined by single base extention assay. The frequency of Thr/Thr, Thr/Met, and Met/Met genotype were 89.4, 10.4, 0.2% in cases and 92.3, 7.7, 0.0% in controls, respectively. Genotype distribution in controls fit well to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P = 0.74). XRCC3 codon 241 Thr/Met or Met/Met genotype moderately increased the risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.87-2.33), but not significant in this study. In the results of meta-analysis using twelve reports, however, Thr/Met or Met/Met genotype increased the risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.08, 95%CI: 1.00-1.17). In conclusion, although the genetic polymorphism of XRCC3 Thr(241)Met was unlikely to have a substantial overall association in Korean women, the meta-analysis of studies, including ours, provided that Thr/Met and Met/Met was weakly increased the risk of breast cancer compare to Thr/Thr genotype.

Asian People↗

Meta- and pooled analyses of the cytochrome P-450 1B1 Val432Leu polymorphism and breast cancer: a HuGE-GSEC review.

The association between the cytochrome P-450 1B1 (CYP1B1) Val432Leu polymorphism and breast cancer was assessed through a meta-analysis of all published case-control studies and a pooled analysis of both published and unpublished case-control studies from the Genetic Susceptibility to Environmental Carcinogens (GSEC) database ( www.upci.upmc.edu/research/ccps/ccontrol/g_intro.html ). GSEC is a collaborative project that gathers information on studies of metabolic gene polymorphisms and cancer. Thirteen articles were included in the meta-analysis (14,331 subjects; 7,514 cases, 6,817 controls); nine data sets were included in the pooled analysis (6,842 subjects; 3,391 cases, 3,451 controls). A summary meta- or pooled estimate of the association between the CYP1B1 Val432Leu polymorphism and breast cancer could not be calculated because of statistically significant heterogeneity in the point estimates among studies. No association between the CYP1B1 Val432Leu polymorphism and breast cancer was observed in Asians (for Val/Val and Val/Leu combined, odds ratio (OR) = 1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8, 1.2). An inverse association was observed in populations of mixed/African origin (OR = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.7, 0.9). The pooled analysis suggested a possible association in Caucasians (for Val/Val and Val/Leu combined, OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.1), with effect modification across age categories. The observed effect of age on the association in Caucasians indicates that further studies are needed on the role of CYP1B1 Val432Leu in estrogen metabolism according to age, ethnicity, and menopausal status.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases↗

Rising prostate cancer rates in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates in South Korea are relatively low, but rising steadily. METHODS: We examined age-standardized incidence and mortality trends of prostate cancer in South Korea to gain further insight into prostate cancer etiology. RESULTS: Although prostate cancer incidence has been low (7.9 per 100,000 man-years), it has increased up to 28.2% between 1996-1998 and 1999-2001. Prostate cancer mortality increased 12.7-fold over a 20-year period. Despite the increase in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates, marked differences in rates remain for Koreans, Korean Americans, and Caucasian Americans. CONCLUSIONS: The rising rates of prostate cancer in South Korea cannot be attributed entirely to PSA screening due to the low PSA screening prevalence; this trend is most likely related to increased westernization among Koreans. Interdisciplinary epidemiological studies incorporating the collection of biological samples are needed to clarify the extent to which lifestyle and genetic factors contribute to the observed racial disparity.

Age Distribution↗

Genetic polymorphisms of eNOS, hormone receptor status, and survival of breast cancer.

The endothelial cell-specific form of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) may play an important role in tumor progression via angiogenesis or apoptosis. We studied eNOS -786T > C and 894G > T (Glu298Asp), two functionally significant SNPs, in relation to hazard of breast cancer recurrence or death in 873 women with incident, non-metastatic breast cancer, recruited from two teaching hospitals in Seoul, Korea, 1995-2002. Hazards were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models, in relation to genotype, adjusting for hormone receptor status, lymph node involvement, and tumor size. Women carriers of the eNOS -786C allele had significantly increased hazards of breast cancer recurrence or death, compared with women having the TT genotype (HR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.03-4.33); risks increased up to 3-fold in ER positive cases (HR = 3.2, 95% CI = 0.95-10.50). The hazard was also increased in eNOS 894T carriers, however, it did not reach statistical significance (HR = 1.8, 95% CI = 0.85-3.93). The combined genotypes containing -786C or 894T was associated with a 2.5-fold risk, compared to the TT-GG genotypes, the most dominant genotype combination (95% CI = 1.29-4.68), with the greatest risks in ER positive cases (HR = 4.9, 95% CI = 1.31-18.36). These results indicate that the eNOS -786C polymorphism, and possibly the 894T polymorphism, are associated with breast cancer recurrence and death, particularly in women with ER positive tumors.

Adult↗

Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among women in Connecticut.

Several hereditary syndromes characterized by defective DNA repair are associated with high risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). To explore whether common polymorphisms in DNA repair genes affect risk of NHL in the general population, we evaluated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA repair genes and risk of NHL in a population-based case-control study among women in Connecticut. A total of 518 NHL cases and 597 controls recruited into the study provided a biologic sample. Thirty-two SNPs in 18 genes involved in several DNA repair pathways were genotyped. Genotype data were analyzed by unconditional logistic regression adjusting for age and race. SNPs in four genes (ERCC5, ERCC2, WRN, and BRCA1) were associated with altered risk of NHL and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the major B cell subtype. In particular, ERCC5 Asp1104His was associated with increased risk of NHL overall (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.13-1.88; P=0.004), DLBCL (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 0.99-2.09; P=0.058), and also T cell lymphoma. WRN Cys1367Arg was associated with decreased risk of NHL overall (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.56-0.91; P=0.007) and DLBCL (OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.45-0.95; P=0.024), as well as follicular and marginal zone lymphomas. Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes, particularly ERCC5 and WRN, may play a role in the pathogenesis of NHL, especially for DLBCL. Further work is needed to extend these findings by carrying out extended haplotype analyses of these and related genes and to replicate the observations in other studies.

Adult↗

Effect of short-term fasting on urinary excretion of primary lipid peroxidation products and on markers of oxidative DNA damage in healthy women.

The goal of this study was to determine whether short-term fasting changes in urinary biomarkers related to oxidative stress: malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha (8-isoPGF), 8-hydroxydeoxy-guanosine (8-OHdG) and 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (epsilondA) among female volunteers participating in the short-term fasting program in South Korea. The study subjects were 52 healthy women (mean age 28, range 15-48 years old) who provided urine samples both before and after the fasting program (average 7.2, range: 3-11 days). Urinary MDA was measured by HPLC-UV and epsilondA levels were measured by immuno-affinity purification followed by HPLC-fluorescence detection. Urinary 8-OHdG and 8-isoPGF concentrations were determined by ELISA. Plasma leptin levels were also measured by radioimmunoassay. Information on demographic characteristics, personal habits (smoking and alcohol consumption) and previous medical history were collected by a self-administered questionnaire. Percent loss of body weight (average 6.3%, 4.28 +/- 0.25 kg) was significantly correlated with fasting duration (r = 0.70, n = 52, P < 0.01). The plasma leptin levels after fasting (5.89 +/- 1.10 ng/ml) were significantly lower than before fasting (6.91 +/- 1.13 ng/ml) (n = 27, P = 0.05). Urinary MDA levels after fasting (0.18 +/- 1.10 mg/g creatinine) were significantly lower than before fasting (0.37 +/- 1.11) (n = 51, P < 0.01). Urinary 8-isoPGF also were significantly reduced after fasting (n = 47, P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in 8-OHdG or epsilondA. There was a statistically significant correlation between % change of urinary MDA level with % change of 8-isoPGF level (partial correlation coefficient r = 0.57, n = 46, P = 0.01). The correlations between % change of 8-OHdG and plasma leptin was also significant (partial correlation coefficient r = 0.51, n = 27, P = 0.02). Our results demonstrate that the short-term fasting reduces lipid peroxidation products but does not affect oxidative stress-induced DNA damage.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗

Nucleotide excision repair gene polymorphisms and risk of advanced colorectal adenoma: XPC polymorphisms modify smoking-related risk.

OBJECTIVES: Nucleotide excision repair enzymes remove bulky damage caused by environmental agents, including carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in cigarette smoke, a risk factor for colorectal adenoma. Among participants randomized to the screening arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, we studied the risk of advanced colorectal adenoma in relation to cigarette smoking and selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the nucleotide excision repair pathway. METHODS: Cases (n = 772) were subjects with left-sided advanced adenoma (>1 cm in size, high-grade dysplasia, or villous characteristics). Controls (n = 777) were screen-negative for left-sided polyps by sigmoidoscopy. DNA was extracted from blood samples and 15 common nonsynonymous SNPs in seven-nucleotide excision repair genes [XPC, RAD23B (hHR23B), CSB (ERCC6), XPD (ERCC2), CCNH, XPF (ERCC4), and XPG (ERCC5)] were genotyped. RESULTS: None of the studied SNPs were independently associated with advanced adenoma risk. Smoking was related to adenoma risk and XPC polymorphisms (R492H, A499V, K939Q) modified these effects (P(interaction) from 0.03-0.003). Although the three XPC variants were in linkage disequilibrium, a multivariate logistic regression tended to show independent protective effects for XPC 499V (P(trend) = 0.06), a finding supported by haplotype analysis (covariate-adjusted global permutation P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Examining a spectrum of polymorphic variants in nucleotide excision repair genes, we found evidence that smoking-associated risks for advanced colorectal adenoma are modified by polymorphisms in XPC, particularly haplotypes containing XPC 499V.

Adenoma↗

Interactive effect of genetic polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase M1 and smoking on squamous cell lung cancer risk in Korea.

To evaluate the role of the genetic polymorphisms of CYP2E1, GSTM1 and GSTT1, and their interaction with smoking in lung cancer development in Korean males, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted. Histologically confirmed male lung cancer patients (n=171) and male patients with no present or previous history of systemic illness who visited the urology department (n=196) were recruited from Seoul National University Hospital, Korea (1998-1999). CYP2E1 genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP using RsaI digestion and GSTM1 and T1 genotypes were determined by multiplex PCR. Risks were estimated as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a logistic regression model adjusting for age and pack-year. Smoking was a significant risk factor for lung cancer (P<0.001). Although genetic polymorphisms of CYP2E1, GSTM1 and T1 were not associated with the overall risk of lung cancer, the GSTM1 null genotype significantly increased the risk of squamous cell lung cancer (OR=1.9, 95% CI=1.04-3.60). An interactive effect between the GSTM1 null genotype and smoking was observed (P=0.04). These results suggest that the GSTM1 null genotype is associated with squamous cell lung cancer and modifies the effect of smoking on squamous cell lung cancer development in Korean males.

Adult↗

Genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1B) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) and breast cancer risk in Korean women.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential role of genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1B) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) on breast cancer development, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Korea. METHODS: Histologically confirmed breast cancer cases (n = 560) and controls (n = 509) without cancer history were recruited from three teaching hospitals in Seoul between September 1998 and January 2002. Information on risk factors of breast cancer were collected by interviewed questionnaire. Genotypes of IL-1B (-31C/T) and IL-1RN (86 bp variable number tandom repeats in intron 2) were determined by PCR-CTPP (confronting two-pair primers) and PCR, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression model. RESULTS: The IL-1RN *2-allele was associated with decreased breast cancer risk with marginal significance (OR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.48-1.05). The IL-1B CC or TC genotype was not associated with decreased risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.65-1.16). However, combination of IL-1B C-allele (CT or CC) and IL-1RN *2-allele containing genotypes significantly decreased the risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.39-0.99). A moderately decreasing trend of risk was observed as the number of 'putative low risk' allele increased (p for trend = 0.07). Suggestive combined effect on breast cancer risk was also observed between body mass index (BMI) and IL-1RN non-*2 allele: women with higher BMI and IL-1RN non-*2 allele had 1.7-fold higher risk than women with lower BMI and IL-1RN*2 genotypes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-1 may play a role in the individual susceptibility for breast cancer development in Korean women.

Asian People↗

Association of paternal age at birth and the risk of breast cancer in offspring: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Older paternal age may increase the germ cell mutation rate in the offspring. Maternal age may also mediate in utero exposure to pregnancy hormones in the offspring. To evaluate the association between paternal and maternal age at birth with the risk of breast cancer in female offspring, a case-control study was conducted in Korea. METHODS: Histologically confirmed breast cancer cases (n = 1,011) and controls (n = 1,011) with no present or previous history of cancer, matched on year of birth and menopausal status, were selected from several teaching hospitals and community in Seoul during 1995-2003. Information on paternal and maternal ages and other factors was collected by interviewed questionnaire. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression model adjusting for family history of breast cancer in 1st or 2nd degree relatives, and lifetime estrogen exposure duration. RESULTS: The risk of breast cancer significantly increased as the paternal age increased (p for trend = 0.025). The association was stronger after controlling for maternal age; women whose fathers were aged >or=40 years at their birth had 1.6-fold increased risk of breast cancer compared with fathers aged <30 years. This association was profound in breast cancer cases in premenopausal women (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.12-3.26, for paternal aged >or=40 vs. <30) (p for trend = 0.031). Although the risk of breast cancer increased as maternal age increased up to the intermediate, and then reduced; the risks in women whose mother were aged 25-29, 30-34, and >or=35 yrs at birth compared to women whose mothers were aged <25 years, were 1.2, 1.4, and 0.8, respectively, the trend was not significant (p for trend = 0.998). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that older paternal age increases the risk of breast cancer in their female offspring.

Adult↗

Design issues in toxicogenomics using DNA microarray experiment.

The methods of toxicogenomics might be classified into omics study (e.g., genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) and population study focusing on risk assessment and gene-environment interaction. In omics study, microarray is the most popular approach. Genes falling into several categories (e.g., xenobiotics metabolism, cell cycle control, DNA repair etc.) can be selected up to 20,000 according to a priori hypothesis. The appropriate type of samples and species should be selected in advance. Multiple doses and varied exposure durations are suggested to identify those genes clearly linked to toxic response. Microarray experiments can be affected by numerous nuisance variables including experimental designs, sample extraction, type of scanners, etc. The number of slides might be determined from the magnitude and variance of expression change, false-positive rate, and desired power. Instead, pooling samples is an alternative. Online databases on chemicals with known exposure-disease outcomes and genetic information can aid the interpretation of the normalized results. Gene function can be inferred from microarray data analyzed by bioinformatics methods such as cluster analysis. The population study often adopts hospital-based or nested case-control design. Biases in subject selection and exposure assessment should be minimized, and confounding bias should also be controlled for in stratified or multiple regression analysis. Optimal sample sizes are dependent on the statistical test for gene-to-environment or gene-to-gene interaction. The design issues addressed in this mini-review are crucial in conducting toxicogenomics study. In addition, integrative approach of exposure assessment, epidemiology, and clinical trial is required.

Computational Biology↗

Elevation of cyclooxygenase-2 is related to lymph node metastasis in adenocarcinoma of uterine cervix.

In a previous study, we demonstrated that elevation of COX-2 is significantly associated with lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of cervix. The main objective of this study is to characterize the relationship between elevation of COX-2 and its possible clinical role in adenocarcinoma (AC) of cervix. Using immunohistochemistry, we examined COX-2 expression levels in 84 patients with AC of uterine cervix [71 ACs, 13 adenosquamous carcinomas (ASCs)]. Elevation of COX-2 was correlated with clinicopathological variables and p53 expression, as detected by immunohistochemistry. Elevation of COX-2 was detected in 13.0% (11 of 84) of the tumors. Elevation of COX-2 was significantly correlated with histologic type (AC 8.5% vs. ASC 38.5%, P=0.011). Both tumor stage and lymph node metastasis were correlated with elevation of COX-2 with a borderline significance (P=0.062 and 0.068, respectively). Elevation of p53 was not associated with elevation of COX-2. The association between lymph node metastasis and elevation of COX-2 was stronger in cases of AC than in cases of ASC (28.4 vs. 4.3%, P=0.023). According to the results of univariate analysis, elevation of COX-2 was significantly associated with decreased overall survival (P=0.003, log-rank test). However, multivariate analyses revealed that only tumor stage was independently associated with overall survival, suggesting that elevation of COX-2 itself may not be an independent prognostic factor. The present study shows that elevation of COX-2 may contribute to lymph node metastasis in AC of uterine cervix. This suggests that the potential therapeutic role of COX-2 inhibitors should be validated, not only in SCC, but also in AC of uterine cervix.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Design issues in cross-sectional biomarkers studies: urinary biomarkers of PAH exposure and oxidative stress.

Cross-sectional biomarker studies can provide a snapshot of the frequency and characteristics of exposure/disease in a population at a particular point in time and, as a result, valuable insights for delineating the multi-step association between exposure and disease occurrence. Three major issues should be considered when designing biomarker studies: selection of appropriate biomarkers, the assay (laboratory validity), and the population validity of the selected biomarkers. Factors related to biomarker selection include biological relevance, specificity, sensitivity, biological half-life, stability, and so on. The assay attributes include limit of detection, reproducibility/reliability, inter-laboratory variation, specificity, time, and cost. Factors related to the population validity include the frequency or prevalence of markers, greater inter-individual variation than intra-individual variation, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), association with potential confounders, invasiveness of specimen collection, and subject selection. Three studies are selected to demonstrate different features of cross-sectional biomarker studies: (1) characterizing the determinants of the biomarkers (study I: urinary PAH metabolites and environmental particulate exposure), (2) relationship of multiple biomarkers of exposure and effect (study II: relationship between urinary PAH metabolites and oxidative stress), and (3) evaluating gene-environmental interaction (study III: effect of genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1 on the association of green tea consumption and urinary 1-OHPG levels in shipbuilding workers).

Anticarcinogenic Agents↗

Effect of genetic polymorphisms of MnSOD and MPO on the relationship between PAH exposure and oxidative DNA damage.

To investigate the effect of genetic polymorphisms on the oxidative damage caused by PAH exposure, we measured urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels to determine exposure and oxidative injury in university students. After examining myeloperoxidase (MPO) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) genotypes by PCR and RFLP, we evaluated the effects of these polymorphisms on the relationship between the urinary levels of 1-OHP and 8-OHdG. No significant relation was observed between log 1-OHP and 8-OHdG concentrations in the whole study group (p=0.182), or between urinary 8-OHdG levels and polymorphisms of MnSOD or MPO (p=0.539 and 0.993, respectively). However, significant differences of regression coefficient were found for the relation between urinary log 1-OHP and urinary 8-OHdG concentrations in the presence of different MnSOD or MPO genotypes by multiple regression after controlling for age, sex, body mass index, cotinine, and smoking. In those with the MnSOD Val/Ala or Ala/Ala genotypes this regression coefficient was 1.480 (p=0.040), whereas for the MnSOD Val/Val genotype it was 0.088 (p=0.859). The higher regression coefficient was obtained for the subject group with the MnSOD Val/Ala or Ala/Ala genotype in combination with the MPO G/G genotype (p=0.012). We suggest that the oxidative injury caused by PAH exposure is modulated by genetic polymorphisms such as MnSOD and MPO.

Base Sequence↗

A haplotype analysis of HER-2 gene polymorphisms: association with breast cancer risk, HER-2 protein expression in the tumor, and disease recurrence in Korea.

PURPOSE: A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in codon 655 of HER-2 has been extensively studied with inconclusive results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between common variants of HER-2 and breast cancer risk, HER-2 expression, and survival using a haplotype-based stepwise approach. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Twenty-nine SNPs listed in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database were screened to identify novel polymorphisms of HER-2 gene in 90 healthy Korean women. Six of 29 SNPs were polymorphic and had greater than 10% of minor allele frequencies. Using these six SNPs, linkage disequilibrium and haplotype patterns were characterized. We tested association between the haplotypes and breast cancer in a large case-control study (n=1,039 cases and 995 controls). Six-hundred two breast cancer patients with follow-up at least 24 months were analyzed for outcome in relation to haplotype. Expression of HER-2 protein was determined by immunohistochemistry in 1,094 cases of invasive breast cancer. RESULTS: All six SNPs showed a strong linkage disequilibrium pattern and were considered to belong to one haplotype block. Two haplotype-tagging SNPs (I655V and P1170A) for three common haplotypes (>5%) were genotyped in cases and controls. The haplotypes and individual SNPs were not associated with breast cancer risk. In patients with at least one copy of haplotype I (the most common haplotype), HER-2 expression was 1.5 times higher (P = 0.009) and the prognosis was worse (P = 0.032) compared with patients without having that haplotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the currently identified genetic polymorphisms of HER-2 are not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in Korean women, whereas one haplotype does affect protein expression of the tumor and disease outcome.

Adult↗

Genetic polymorphisms of selected DNA repair genes, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, and breast cancer risk.

PURPOSE: Genetic polymorphisms of DNA repair genes seem to determine the DNA repair capacity, which in turn may affect the risk of breast cancer. To evaluate the role of genetic polymorphisms of DNA repair genes in breast cancer, we conducted a hospital-based case-control study of Korean women. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We included 872 incident breast cancer cases and 671 controls recruited from several teaching hospitals in Seoul from 1995 to 2002. Twelve loci of selected DNA repair genes were genotyped by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (XRCC2 Arg188His, XRCC4 921G > T, XRCC6 1796G > T, LIG4 1977T/C, RAD51 135G > C, 172G > T, RAD52 2259C > T, LIG1 551A > C, ERCC1 8092A > C, 354C > T, hMLH1 -93G > A, and Ile219Val). RESULTS: We found that the RAD52 2259 CT or TT, hMLH1 -93 GG, and ERCC1 8092 AA genotypes were associated with breast cancer risk after adjustment for known risk factors [odds ratio (OR), 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.02-1.75; OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.99-1.74; and OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38-0.89, respectively]. When Bonferroni's method was used to correct for multiple comparisons for nine polymorphisms with P = 0.005, all of these associations were not significant. However, the effects of RAD52 2259 CT or TT and ERCC1 354 CT or TT genotypes were more evident for the estrogen/progesterone receptor-negative cases (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.24-3.34 and OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.35-2.94, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that genetic polymorphisms of RAD52, ERCC1, and hMLH1 may be associated with breast cancer risk in Korean women.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Obesity and genetic polymorphism of ERCC2 and ERCC4 as modifiers of risk of breast cancer.

To evaluate the relationship of genetic polymorphisms of ERCC2 and ERCC4 genes, both involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER), and the risk of breast cancer, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Korea. Histologically confirmed breast cancer cases (n = 574) and controls (n = 502) with no present or previous history of cancer were recruited from three teaching hospitals in Seoul during 1995-2001. Information on selected characteristics was collected by interviewed questionnaire. ERCC2 Asp(312)Asn (G>A) was genotyped by single-base extension assay and ERCC4 Ser(835)Ser (T>C) by dynamic allele-specific hybridization system. Although no significant association was observed between the genetic polymorphisms and the risk of breast cancer, women with both ERCC2 A allele- and ERCC4 C allele-containing genotypes showed a 2.6-fold risk (95% CI: 1.02-6.48) of breast cancer compared to women concurrently carrying the ERCC2 GG and ERCC4 TT genotypes. The breast cancer risk increased as the number of "at risk" genotypes increased with a borderline significance (P for trend = 0.07). Interactive effect was also observed between ERCC4 genotype and body mass idnex (BMI) for the breast cancer risk; the ERCC4 C allele containing genotypes posed a 1.7-fold (95% CI: 0.96-2.93) breast cancer risk in obese women (BMI>25 kg/m(2)) with a borderline significance. Our finding suggests that the combined effect of ERCC2 Asp(312)Asn and ERCC4 Ser(835)Ser genotypes might be associated with breast cancer risk in Korean women.

Breast Neoplasms↗