Aim: E-cadherin plays a role in carcinogenesis. For two genetic polymorphisms in the gene (CDH1) promoter, a reduced transcription has been reported: a C/A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and a G/GA SNP at -160 bp and -347 bp, respectively, upstream of the transcriptional start site. We studied the association between both polymorphisms and the risk of bladder cancer.
Methods: One hundred and ninety-seven patients with bladder cancer and 344 population controls were genotyped and haplotyped for both SNPs.
Results: A borderline significantly increased risk for bladder cancer was found for A allele carriers (OR 1.36; 95% CI: 0.96-1.94). We did not find any association between the -347 G/GA SNP and bladder cancer. Haplotype analyses did not yield much stronger associations with bladder cancer than the -160 C/A genotype analyses.
Conclusion: This study supports earlier suggestions that the -160 C/A SNP in the CDH1 promoter is a risk factor for bladder cancer.