No association between angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) I/D polymorphism and gastric cancer risk among Japanese

The angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) is involved in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, inflammation, and tissue remodeling, all of which could play a role in carcinogenesis. The DD genotype of ACE I/D polymorphism with a higher ACE level than either ID or II genotypes was reported to increase the risk of several cancers. This is a case-control study examining the association between the polymorphism and gastric cancer risks among Japanese. Cases numbered 583 patients aged 27 to 80 years with gastric cancer diagnosed at the Aichi Cancer Center Hospital from 2001 to 2005. Controls were 1,742 sex and age frequency-matched cancer-free patients, who visited the same hospital during that same period. The ACE I/D polymorphism was genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction with confronting two-pair primers. The results showed that the age- and sex- adjusted ORs of gastric cancer were 0.95 (95% CI, 0.78-1.16) for ID, and 1.08 (95% CI, 0.80-1.46) for DD relative to II. Among the controls with H. pylori sero-positive or gastric atrophy (GA), the ORs of ID and DD relative to II were 1.20 (95% CI, 0.88-1.63) and 1.16 (95% CI, 0.73-1.84) for mild GA, and 1.22 (95% CI, 0.84-1.78) and 1.08 (95% CI, 0.61-1.89) for severe GA, respectively. In conclusion, there was no significant association of the ACE I/D polymorphism with the risk of gastric cancer. Among the controls, the polymorphism was not associated with the severity of GA.