Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. Tumor protein 53 (TP53) and its regulator, the mouse double murine 2 (MDM2) protein homologue, influence tumorigenesis through their key roles in cell division and response to DNA damage. The MDM2 SNP309T>G (rs2279744) polymorphism in the promoter region of the MDM2 can cause dysfunction and inactivation of TP53, which promotes tumor progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between this polymorphism and breast cancer in a northeastern Iranian population.
Methods: A case-control study with 128 female breast cancer patients and 143 healthy women was conducted. PCR-ARMS was performed to assess the MDM2 SNP309T>G (rs2279744) polymorphism.
Results: No significant association was found between the GG genotype or G allele polymorphisms and breast cancer in patients or controls (p = 0.116, OR [95% CI]: 1.267 [0.616, 2.603] and p= 0.143, OR [95% CI]: 1.326 [0.908, 1.935], respectively). For the G allele polymorphism, a significant difference of 8 years in the average cancer diagnosis age was observed between TT and TG carriers (40.57 vs. 48.15 years, respectively, p = 0.029).
Conclusion: The SNP309T>G polymorphism in MDM2 may not be associated with breast cancer in this Iranian population.
Keywords: Breast cancer; Case-control study; Mouse double murine 2 (MDM2); Polymorphism.