title: Is there a link between ovarian cancer and tooth agenesis?
abstract: An epidemiologic study from the year 2008 found a highly significant increase of congenital tooth agenesis in women with ovarian cancer suggesting that a common genetic etiology may predispose women to both conditions. The finding was reminiscent of a previously described family harboring an AXIN2 mutation which could be shown to segregate with both the tooth agenesis and the predisposition to colon cancer transmitted in this family. Since tooth agenesis as a marker for susceptibility to ovarian cancer would be of great relevance to both oncologists and women with inborn missing teeth, the relationship between the two disorders requires a thorough assessment. We examined DNA samples from the ovarian cancer patients who participated in the original study, to look for a possible genetic connection between their ovarian malignancies and tooth agenesis. MSX1, PAX9, AXIN2, EDA, WNT10A, BARX and BRCA1 genes were selected for sequence analysis as they may cause tooth agenesis, are expressed in the female reproductive system, and/or are involved in tumorigenesis in general or specifically in the ovary. Our study revealed evidence that one half of the dually affected patients had an independent causation of the two conditions, thus reducing the previously estimated ovarian cancer risk for women with congenital tooth agenesis quite significantly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bonds
authors.affiliation: Baylor Graduate Orthodontics Department, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pollan-White
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
authors.forename: Lilin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX 75246, USA. Electronic address: gmues@bcd.tamhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mues
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX 75246, USA; University of Utah School of Dentistry, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Rena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: D'Souza
mesh_terms: D000848:Anodontia / Q000235:genetics*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
keywords: AXIN2; BARX1/2; BRCA1; EDA; Genetics; MSX1; Ovarian cancer; PAX9; Tooth agenesis; WNT10A