title: A single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5' untranslated region of RAD51 and ovarian cancer risk in Polish women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  DNA repair gene polymorphisms are known to influence cancer risk. The RAD51 gene encodes proteins essential for maintaining genomic stability by playing a central role in holmology-dependent recombinational repair of the DNA double-strand breaks. Aims. We investigated the association of polymorphisms in the DNA repair genes RAD51-135G > C and 172G >T with ovarian cancer risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  120 Polish ovarian cancer patients and 120 healthy controls were genotyped for RAD51 (135G > C and 172G > T) by PCR-RFLP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the present work no association was detected between ovarian cancer risk and 172G > T polymorphism of the RAD51 gene. The 135G > C polymorphism was associated with ovarian cancer risk. We found evidence of an increased ovarian cancer risk in CC homozygotes (OR 12.97 [95% confidence interval {CI} (5.73-29.36)]) but not in heterozygotes (OR 0.55 [95% CI 0.23-1.29]). We demonstrated a significant positive association between the RAD51 variant 135C allele and ovarian carcinoma, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 6.24 (p < .0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicated that the polymorphism 135G > C of RAD51 may be positively associated with ovarian carcinoma in the Polish population. Further studies on the role of the RAD51 gene on ovarian cancer are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital, Lodz, Poland. smolbea@wp.pl
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Romanowicz-Makowska
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smolarz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Samulak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michalska
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lewy
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burzyński
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kokołaszwili
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D011044:Poland; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D051135:Rad51 Recombinase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; C495153:RAD51 protein, human; D051135:Rad51 Recombinase