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Published on: January 7, 2014
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma polymorphism, body mass and prostate cancer risk: evidence for
Joseph M Zmuda1, Francesmary Modugno, Joel L Weissfeld
1Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. zmudaj@edc.pitt.edu
Background:
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma has been implicated in prostate cancer. In the present case-control study, we tested if a common Pro12Ala polymorphism in PPAR-gamma is associated with the risk of prostate cancer.
Methods:
Ninety-one adult Caucasians with prostate cancer were recruited between 1994 and 1998. Blood samples were also obtained from 237 community-based Caucasian men without prostate cancer.
Results:
Twenty-six percent of cases and 19% of controls carried at least one Ala allele (p = 0.16). There was a significant interaction between the PPAR-gamma polymorphism and body mass index (BMI) in age-adjusted analyses (p < 0.05). Among the subgroup of men with BMI above 27.2 kg/m2 (median in controls), carriers of the Ala allele had over 2-fold greater risk of prostate cancer compared to those with the Pro12Pro genotype (odds ratio, OR: 2.77; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.25-6.16). No association was observed between the PPAR-gamma genotype and prostate cancer among men with BMI below the median (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.23-1.97).
Conclusions:
Our results suggest a novel gene-environment interaction between the PPAR-gamma Pro12Ala polymorphism and body mass in prostate cancer. Further research, particularly prospective studies, is needed to confirm these findings and to clarify the underlying mechanisms involved.
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