Androgen receptor gene CAG repeat polymorphism and breast cancer risk in Iranian women: a case-control study

We investigated the association between polymorphic expansion of trinucleotide CAG repeats in androgen receptor (AR) gene and breast cancer risk among Iranian women in a matched case-control study. There was a strong overall association between per CAG repeat increments in average repeat length and the risk of the malignancy [OR=3.56; 95% CI, 2.80-5.29]. Women carrying one or two alleles with [CAG]n repeat ≥22 units were at increased risk of breast cancer [OR=2.03; 95% CI, 1.56-2.6]. The risk was significantly increased in homozygous longer repeats, versus homozygous alleles <22. We observed reduced risk of developing the tumor in positive familial breast cancer subjects carrying repeats ≥22 and 23. Homozygosity for the longer [CAG]n repeats may be linked to the increased breast cancer risk. In contrast to previous reports, longer AR [CAG]n repeat alleles may decline the risk among women with a familial breast cancer.