The role of GSTM1 gene polymorphisms in lung cancer development in Turkish population.
BACKGROUND
Glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) plays an important role in the detoxification of many xenobiotics involved in the etiology of cancer. In different ethnic groups, variations in null allele frequency have been observed. We have investigated GSTM1 gene polymorphisms in healthy subjects and lung cancer patients in the Turkish population and reviewed the control subjects of the studies performed in the Turkish population.


METHODS
Following blood sampling from patients and controls, DNA samples were extracted from the whole blood and were amplified by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in all of the 256 cases, consisting of 102 previously diagnosed with lung cancer and 154 healthy controls.


RESULTS
The prevalence of GSTM1-null genotype in the lung cancer patients was 49%, compared to 52.6% in the control group (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 0.70-1.90, p = 0.57). There were also no significant relationships in GSTM1 genotypes among histopathologic types of lung cancers (p > 0.05). The frequency of GSTM1 was found to be 41.2% (n = 1809) when the control subjects of the studies performed in Turkish population were reviewed.


CONCLUSIONS
We have observed that GSTM1 genotype is not an independent risk factor for lung cancer.
Demir
Adalet
A
Yedikule Teaching Hospital for Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery, Depertmant of Thoracic Surgery, Istanbul, Turkey. dradalet@hotmail.com.
Altin
Sedat
S
Pehlivan
Davut
D
Demir
Mulahim
M
Yakar
Fatih
F
Seyhan
Ekrem Cengiz
EC
Dincer
Seyyit Ibrahim
SI