title: MMP-7 A-181G Polymorphism in Breast Cancer Patients from Western Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are upregulated in tumors. The MMP-7 A-181G polymorphism is associated with increased expression of the MMP-7 gene. Aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the MMP-7 A-181G polymorphism and susceptibility to breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The MMP-7 A-181G variants were studied in a cohort of 251 subjects consisting of 100 breast cancer patients and 151 healthy controls; all were from Western Iran. The MMP-7 A-181G genotypes were identified using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequencies of the MMP-7 AA, AG, and GG genotypes in healthy individuals were 34.4, 50.4, and 15.2%, respectively. In breast cancer patients, the frequencies of AA (34%), AG (52%), and GG (14%) genotypes (p = 0.95) were similar to those in the controls. There was a trend toward an increased frequency of the combined genotype of MMP-7 AG+GG in patients with lymph node metastasis (70.4%) compared to those without metastasis (66.7%). Also, in patients with invasive lobular carcinoma, the frequency of the MMP-7 AG+GG genotype tended to be higher (71.4%) compared to that in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (66.2%) (p = 0.78).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that the MMP-7 A-181G polymorphism may not be correlated with susceptibility to breast cancer in our population.
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Kheirollah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yari
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Ziba
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Payandeh
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rahimi
keywords: Breast cancer; Gene polymorphism; MMP-7 A-181G; Western Iran