Exploring the Potential Causal Relationship of Galectin Levels and Gynecologic Cancers: A Two-Sample Mendelian...

Previous studies have reported the correlation between single galectin levels and gynecologic cancers. The present study used the Mendelian randomization (MR) technique to evaluate the causal relationship between galectin levels and gynecologic cancers.

Data on galectin levels (3394 individuals of the Gal-3 dataset, 3301 individuals of Gal-1, Gal-2, Gal-4, Gal-7, Gal-8, Gal-9, and Gal-10 datasets) and gynecologic cancers were obtained from the IEU Open genome-wide association study (GWAS) project, Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC) and FinnGen consortium. Two-sample MR was performed to determine the causal relationship between galectin levels and gynecologic cancers. Meanwhile, a bi-directional MR analysis was also conducted to examine the direction of the causal relations. The results were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Gal-3 (OR=1.001, 95% CI: 1.000-1.001) and Gal-8 (OR=1.001, 95% CI: 1.000-1.002) may indicate small effects on cervical cancer. Gal-1 was suggested as risk factors for ovarian cancer (OR=1.108, 95% CI: 1.033-1.188), high grade serous ovarian cancer (OR=1.106, 95% CI: 1.019-1.202), and invasive mucinous ovarian cancer (OR=1.279, 95% CI: 1.041-1.573). Gal-9 showed modest effect in ovarian cancer (OR=1.070, 95% CI: 1.000-1.144), but significantly associated with an elevated risk of mucinous ovarian cancer (OR=1.242, 95% CI: 1.015-1.520). Gal-10 was suggested as a protective factor against ovarian cancer (OR=0.929, 95% CI: 0.867-0.994) and clear cell ovarian cancer (OR=0.803, 95% CI: 0.653-0.987). Gal-2 (OR=0.779, 95% CI: 0.654-0.929) and Gal-4 (OR=0.786, 95% CI: 0.639-0.966) were found as protective factors for malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri. Gal-2 (OR=0.921, 95% CI: 0.851-0.997) and Gal-10 (OR=0.892, 95% CI: 0.815-0.977) were suggested as protective factors against endometrial cancer (endometrioid histology). Similarly, higher Gal-4 was also associated with decreased risk of endometrial cancer (OR=0.902, 95% CI: 0.840-0.969) and endometrial cancer (endometrioid histology) (OR=0.846, 95% CI: 0.778-0.920).

The study explored potential causal relationships between galectin levels and gynecologic cancers. While some associations were modest, the consistent directionality across sensitivity analyses and the biological plausibility of galectins in tumor immunology suggest that these proteins warrant further investigation as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Future research should validate these findings in clinical cohorts and explore underlying mechanisms.