title: Thymidylate synthase gene (TYMS) polymorphisms in sporadic and hereditary breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer (BC) is a genetic disorder characterized by growth and proliferation of breast cells in a disorderly. In Brazil, there are approximately 49.240 new cases of BC, every year. The BC etiology is still poorly understood. The BC can be sporadic (SBC) or hereditary (HBC). Recent studies have correlated gene polymorphisms with the BC, such as alterations in thymidylate synthase gene (TYMS), which are used to improve diagnosis and prevention of the disease. Polymorphisms in the TYMS gene 5'-UTR region, usually present reps double (2R) and/or triple (3R). Studies have shown that homozygous 3R/3R is overexpressed compared with 2R/2R genotype, and these polymorphic variations may contribute to individual susceptibility to the development of BC. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of the TYMS 2R and 3R polymorphisms, comparing genotypic and allelic distribution with SBC and HBC patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study we included a total of 204 subjects, 70 with BC (33 with SBC, and 37 with HBC) and 134 healthy subjects (controls). The Polymerase Chain Reaction was the method used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results demonstrated a high frequency of the 3R allele at BC, SBC, and HBC groups. The frequency of genotype 2R/3R was significantly higher in BC group. This work showed association between the 2R/3R variants (OR = 4.14, CI95% = 1.77-9.71) in the development of SBC, and 2R/2R (OR = 0.233, CI95% = 1.63-7.65) and 2R/3R (OR = 3.53, CI95% = 0.06-0.81) for developing HBC. To BC, there was association with the genotype 2R/3R (OR: 3.79, CI95% = 2.03-7.08).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show relation to the development of BC in association with the analyzed polymorphisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, P.O. Box: 6111, Campinas, SP 13081-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: da Silva Nogueira
authors.forename: Fernando Augusto
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: de Lima Marson
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sílvia Bertuzzo
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001938:Brazil; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D061325:Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase