Research in Medicine

 Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the world. Growth, maintenance and the expression of genes involved in the production of steroids, may alter the susceptibility of prostate cancer. One such gene, CYP1B1 (cytochrome P450, family 1, subfamily B, polypeptide 1) is involved in the activation of many carcinogens and in the metabolism of steroid hormones. It catalyzes the formation of 4-hydroxyestradiol, a carcinogenic metabolite that retains significant estrogenic activity. CYP1B1 is a member of the CYP1 gene family and one of the major enzymes involved in the hydroxylation of estrogens, a reaction of key relevance in hormonal carcinogenesis. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of CYP1B1 gene polymorphism with prostate cancer risk among Iranians and North Indian populations.

PCR-RFLP analysis of this gene was performed on 150 prostate cancer patients admitted to the Department of Urology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Science and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, and 150 patients from Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran, compared with equal number of matching controls for each group visiting same centers for other reason. Then the data was analyzed with the computer software SPSS for windows (version 19), using logistic regression.

 We found an increased association between Leu/Val genotype and prostate cancer risk among Iranians (OR, 2.95 95% CI, 1.22-7.13, P=0.016) and Indian populations (OR, 2.52 95% CI, 1.14-5.54, P=0.022). There was no significant association for risk of prostate cancer in individuals carrying the CYP1B1 Val/Val genotype in both groups.

 An increased risk of prostate cancer in people carrying heterozygosity of Leu/432 has been found in theses populations.