Correlation between FAS single nucleotide polymorphisms and breast carcinoma susceptibility in Asia

Area of Science:

• Genetics and Genomics
• Cancer Epidemiology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• The FAS gene encodes a cell surface death receptor involved in apoptosis.
• Two common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FAS promoter, FAS-1377G>A (rs2234767) and FAS-670A>G (rs1800682), have been investigated for their role in breast cancer.
• Previous studies on these polymorphisms in Asian populations yielded inconsistent results regarding breast cancer etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis to precisely assess the association between FAS gene promoter polymorphisms and breast cancer susceptibility.
• To clarify the conflicting findings from previous studies on FAS SNPs and breast cancer risk in Asian populations.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CBM up to November 1, 2018.
• Eight studies comprising 2564 breast cancer cases and 2633 controls were included in the meta-analysis.
• Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using Stata13.0 software to evaluate associations.

Main Results:

• The FAS-1377G/A polymorphism showed a significant association with increased breast cancer risk for allele G versus allele A (OR=1.100, 95% CI=1.004-1.206).
• Stratification by ethnicity revealed a significant association in East Asian populations for the AA+GA versus GG genotype (OR=1.177, 95% CI=1.010-1.371), but not in West Asian populations.
• No significant association was found for the FAS-670A/G polymorphism with breast cancer risk in any comparison model.

Conclusions:

• The FAS-1377G/A polymorphism may contribute to increased breast cancer susceptibility, particularly in East Asian populations.
• This polymorphism could serve as a potential biomarker for breast cancer risk prediction.
• Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of FAS gene polymorphisms in breast cancer risk across diverse ethnic groups, including Africans and Latin Americans.