title: Lack of association between catechol-O-methyltransferase Val108/158Met polymorphism and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis of 25,627 cases and 34,222 controls.
abstract: Epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val108/158Met polymorphism and breast cancer risk. However, the results remain conflicting rather than conclusive. In order to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, we performed this meta-analysis. Systematic searches of the PubMed and Medline databases were performed. A total of 41 studies including 25,627 cases and 34,222 controls were identified. Genotype distributions of COMT in the controls of all studies were in agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) except for three studies. When all 41 studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, there was no evidence for significant association between COMT Val108/158Met polymorphism and breast cancer risk (for Val/Met vs. Val/Val: OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.93-1.04; for Met/Met vs. Val/Val: OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.88-1.04; for dominant model: OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.92-1.03; for recessive model: OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.90-1.04). In the subgroup analyses by ethnicity, menopausal status, no significant associations were found in all genetic models. When sensitivity analyses were performed by excluding HWE-violating studies, all the results were not materially altered. In summary, the meta-analysis strongly suggests that COMT Val108/158Met polymorphism is not associated with increased breast cancer risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Xi-Wen
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-Xin
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Ru-Yan
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase