Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2009 May;52(5):529-537.

The effect of HER-2 polymorphism according to age on the risk and pathologic feature of endometrial cancer

• Lee JM
• Lee JH
• Tong SY
• Ki KD
• Lee SK
• Huh CY

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HER-2 gene and age on the risk and pathologic feature of endometrial cancer.
METHODS
We included 125 women with histologically confirmed endometrioid adenocarcinoma who underwent complete surgical staging. The control group consisted of 302 patients with benign gynecologic disease who underwent hysterectomy. Nine SNPs spanning the HER-2 gene were genotyped by SNP-IT assay using SNPstream(r) Genotyping System. Of 9 SNPs, 5 that were either monomorphic or had a lowallele frequency (<10%) in this population were removed, leaving 4 SNPs (SNP1- rs1801200, SNP2- rs1810132, SNP3- rs2517951, SNP4- rs1058808) with allele frequencies > or =10%; these were included in the final analysis. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after adjustment for BMI.
RESULTS
The mean age for endometrial cancer patients was 53.4+/-11.5 (range, 29-81) years. Forty-seven patients (38%) were <50 years of age, and 78 patients (62%) were > or =50 years. Cases had a significantly higher BMI than controls (P<0.001). After adjustment for BMI, there was no significant relationship between HER-2 polymorphism and the risk of endometrial cancer based on age. Furthermore, HER-2 polymorphism did not affect the pathologic features of endometrial cancer based on age.
CONCLUSION
Although there is no potential association among HER-2 polymorphisms, age, and endometrial cancer risk, large studies are needed in the future to assess the role of this polymorphism in endometrial cancer and for its combined effect.

Keyword

Age; HER-2; Single nucleotide polymorphism; Endometrial cancer

MeSH Terms

Carcinoma, Endometrioid
Endometrial Neoplasms
Female
Gene Frequency
Genes, erbB-2
Genital Diseases, Female
Humans
Hysterectomy
Logistic Models
Odds Ratio
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide