Genetic polymorphisms of estrogen receptors α and β and the risk of developing prostate cancer

B75

Estrogen may have a critical role in developing prostate cancer. We examined the association between genetic polymorphisms of estrogen receptors α (ESR1) and β (ESR2) and prostate cancer risk in a nested case-control study in Washington County, Maryland. To each of the 269 incident prostate cancer cases, one or two controls were matched by age, sex, race, and date of blood donation. Genotyping was determined by the TaqMan® assays (Applied Biosystems, Foster city, CA, USA). Habitual dietary intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire in 1989. Follow-up period was from 1989 to 2000. The associations between estrogen receptor genotypes or dietary intake and the development of prostate cancer were examined in conditional logistic regression models.
 >Results from this study showed that six single base-pair polymorphisms (SNPs) of ESR1 (rs1801132, rs2077647, rs746432, rs2273206, rs851982, rs2228480) and four SNPs of ESR2 (rs4986938, rs928554, rs8018687, rs number not available for ESR2 5696 bp 3' of STP A>G) were not significantly associated with prostate cancer risk, either by allelic or genotypic frequencies. However, four SNPs may be associated with higher risk for being diagnosed to have advanced stage disease (rs2077647, rs2273206, rs4986938, rs928554). In addition, an interactive effect with BMI was observed in the relationship between prostate cancer risk and genotypes of ESR2 38 bp 3' of STP G>A (rs4986938) (p =0.03). Interactive effects of intake level of phytoestrogen and genotypes of ESR1 Ex1-192G>C (rs746432) and of intake level of phytoestrogen and genotypes of ESR1 Ex8+229G>A (rs2228480) were also suggestive in the association with prostate cancer risk (p =0.0009 and p =0.044, respectively). In conclusion, selected genetic polymorphisms of ESR1 and ESR2 were not associated with prostate cancer risk. However, modification of the risk by BMI and phytoestrogen intake was implicated.