Positive Health Online

Abstract

MAJOR and COLLEAGUES, (1)Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, Bethesda, MD studied whether variants in vitamin E-related genes were associated with risk of prostate cancer.

Background

Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) plays a key role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation and has been studied as a potential chemopreventive agent for prostate cancer. The association of serum vitamin E concentrations with cancer risk may be modified by genetic variations in vitamin E-related genes.

Methodology

We examined whether variants in vitamin E-related genes were associated with risk of prostate cancer in a nested case-control study using 483 prostate cancer cases and 542 matched controls of European ancestry from a large US multicenter trial that had available measurements of serum vitamin E concentrations and genotyping of 3 genome-wide association study meta-analysis-identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with circulating vitamin E. ORs and 95% CIs were calculated using unconditional logistic regression adjusted for age, family history of prostate cancer, and serum total cholesterol.

Results

Findings suggest lower prostate cancer risk for men whose genotypes reflect higher vitamin E (i.e., α-tocopherol) status. An SNP (rs964184) near budding-site selection protein 13 (yeast) (BUD13), zinc finger protein 259 (ZNF259), and apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) on 11q23.3 was significantly associated with prostate cancer risk (per-allele OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.98; P-trend = 0.03). The association between rs964184 and prostate cancer risk was stronger among homozygous carriers of the minor allele (OR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.83). Another variant, rs11057830 in scavenger receptor class-B member 1 (SCARB1) on 12p24.31, approached statistical significance (OR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.10, 1.01, P = 0.05; 2 minor allele copies).

Conclusion

This study suggests that polymorphisms near BUD13/ZNF259/APOA5, involved in vitamin E transport and metabolism, may be associated with lower risk of prostate cancer. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00002540.

References

Major JM(1), Yu K, Weinstein SJ, Berndt SI, Hyland PL, Yeager M, Chanock S and Albanes D. Genetic variants reflecting higher vitamin e status in men are associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer. J Nutr. 144(5):729-33. May 2014. doi: 10.3945/jn.113.189928. Epub  Mar 12 2014. 

Comment

This research suggests that genetic variation in vitamin E status in men may be associated with reduced prostate cancer risk.