Effects of caspase-9 and survivin gene polymorphisms in pancreatic cancer risk and tumor characteristics.
OBJECTIVE
This case-control study was performed to evaluate the association between a specific caspase-9 polymorphism as well as the genetic polymorphism -31G/C located in the cycle-dependent elements/cell cycle homology regions repressor element of the human survivin promoter and the risk of pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
Eighty patients with pancreatic cancer and 160 healthy controls were investigated for genotype and allelic frequencies of caspase-9 1263A/G and survivin -31G/C polymorphisms by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism.


RESULTS
The G carrier group of patients and the G allele of caspase-9 1263A/G were overrepresented among the pancreatic cancer cases. With regard to tumor characteristics, a statistically significant association was detected between the survivin C carrier group of patients and the advanced T stage as well as the presence of lymph node metastasis.


CONCLUSIONS
The caspase-9 G allele confers increased susceptibility to pancreatic cancer development, and the survivin C carriage status may be related to aggressive features of this malignancy.
Theodoropoulos
George E
GE
First Propaedeutic Surgical Department, Hippocration University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Michalopoulos
Nikolaos V
NV
Panoussopoulos
Sotirios-George
SG
Taka
Styliani
S
Gazouli
Maria
M
D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D053453:Caspase 9 / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D000077022:Survivin
C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D000077022:Survivin; D053453:Caspase 9