Background: Breast cancer is a multifactorial disease with the highest frequency in females. Genetic and environmental factors can cause mutation in several genes like tyrosine kinase, JAK2 gene which may initiate cancer. Molecular analysis of mutations in the JAK2 gene along with determination of environmental, clinical and haematological risk factors associated with breast cancer patients is need of hour to improve patient's healthcare. Somatic JAK2 valine-to-phenylalanine (617 codon) mutation is one of the widely prevalent mutations.
Methods: Blood was collected from seventy breast cancer patients after their consent. The questionnaire included risk factors, age group, locality, number of children, tumor type, family history, time of initial diagnosis, no of cycles/month, water conditions and exposure to radiations. Molecular analysis were carried out from genomic DNA using Sanger sequencing and allele-specific PCR to check the V617F point mutation.
Results: The breast cancer risk factors includes unfiltered water (68.57%), urban (58.57%), menopause (55.71%), family history of cancer (18.57%), tumor grades (II, 37.14% and III, 35.71%), consanguineous marriages (44.28%) and having more than 3-4 children (45.71%). Prevalence of breast cancer was higher after the age of 35 and maximum at 35-50. In allele-specific PCR of 70 patients, 25 patients were wild type (229 bp), 25 patients were with partially deleted gene (200 bp), and 20 patient had shown no or less than 40 bp size fragments. In Sanger's sequencing of 70 BC cases, 18% were found to be positive for V617F point mutation, including 6 homozygous (T/T) and 7 heterozygous (G/T) mutations at nucleotide position 1849 in exon 14 of the JAK2 gene.
Conclusions: Environmental and clinical risk factors were associated with breast cancer which can be overcome by improving awareness of associated risks, health facilities and reducing stress.
Keywords: Allele-specific PCR; Breast cancer; JAK2; Sanger’s sequencing; V617F mutation.