Background: Dietary factors, life-style as well as environmental conditions may contribute to the risk of prostate tumor together with genetic susceptibility, that may be an important factor in determining who is more likely to develop prostate malignancy. We have undertaken a case-control study in order to elucidate the association between polymorphisms in some metabolizing genes with the risk of prostate cancer (PCa).
Methods: Polymorphisms of three xenobiotic genes (CYP17, GSTP1, PON1) were characterized in 384 patients with untreated PCa and 360 age-matched control patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). All polymorphisms were investigated by PCR/RFLP methods using DNA from lymphocytes.
Results: We found that men with the CYP17/A1A1-A1A2 genotypes, GSTP1/IleVal genotype, PON192/QR and PON55/LM-MM genotypes had a significantly higher risk of PCa compared with the others genotypes.
Conclusions: The three polymorphisms appear to be common genetic traits that are associated with an increased risk for PCa: the analysis of them all in each single case may be a predictable factor, particularly among groups exposed to PCa-related carcinogens.
(c) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.