Effects of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism on prostate specific antigen and prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among men in many countries. Serum levels of prostate-spesific antigen (PSA) have attracted attention for prediction purposes. The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene play a critical role in cancer development, but its potential impact on prostate cancer has not been well studied. The C677T variant lies in exon 4 at the folate binding site of the MTHFR gene and results in substitution of an alanine by a valine residue. The present study was carried out 55 cases with prostate cancer and 50 healthy men. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and agarose gel electrophoresis techniques were employed to determine MTHFR C677T mutation. The frequencies of the CT genotype (p= 0.025) and T allele (p= 0.023) was found to be higher in control subjects when compared with patients group. No statistical difference was found between the alleles of MTHFR and PSA levels after (PSA-BT)/ before (PSA-AT) antiandrogen treatment or tumor stages. We suggest that the heterozygote CT genotype and the 677T allele of the MTHFR polymorphism might be associated with an decreased prostate cancer risk.