title: Association of the -160 C --> a promoter polymorphism of E-cadherin gene with gastric carcinoma risk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A -160 C --> A polymorphism in the promoter region of E-cadherin has been shown to decrease gene transcription. This allelic variation might be a potential genetic marker for identifying individuals at risk for cancer. There remains no report regarding the polymorphism of E-cadherin in gastric carcinoma (GC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A hospital-based case-control study, including 201 GC cases and 196 unaffected controls, was performed. DNA from peripheral blood samples was examined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Logistic regression analyses were used to compute odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) after adjusted for Helicobacter pylori infection, smoking, and other relevant factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 196 healthy Taiwanese, the distribution of genotype C/C was 42.3%, C/A was 48.0%, and A/A was 9.7%. The frequency of variant A/A genotype in GC case (4 of 201, 2%) was significantly lower than that of controls (19 of 196, 9.7%) (P < 0.005), conferring a 5-fold decrease in the risk of GC (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06-0.56) compared with the C/C genotype. Stratification of the GC cases according to their location (cardia and noncardia), histology (intestinal and diffuse), tumor stage (early and advanced), and lymph node metastasis (positive and negative) failed to reveal any heterogeneity with respect to E-cadherin genotype.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors' data suggest that individuals with E-cadherin -160 A/A genotype have a decreased risk of GC. Further work is mandatory to clarify the functional relevance of the A allele in vivo and to confirm the inverse association of the A/A genotype with GC in large epidemiologic studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Shiang
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shih-Pei
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yu-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ming-Tsan
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chia-Tung
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Shun
authors.forename: Ming-Chu
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hsiu-Po
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chien-Jen
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jaw-Town
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D005819:Genetic Markers