Objectives: To explore the significance of an E-cadherin gene promoter polymorphism for risk and disease severity of prostate cancer in a Japanese population.
Methods: We enrolled 200 patients with sporadic prostate cancer and 159 control patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia in this case-control study. The -160C/A polymorphism in the E-cadherin gene promoter was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length analysis.
Results: The C/C, C/A, and A/A genotypes were observed in 58%, 39%, and 3% of patients, respectively, whereas the C/C, C/A, and A/A genotypes were observed in 75%, 25%, and 0.63% of control subjects, respectively. Japanese men carrying the A allele and A/A genotype had 1.88-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25 to 2.84) and 9.03-fold (95% CI, 1.50 to 172.36) higher risks, respectively, for prostate cancer than did carriers of the C allele and C/C genotype. There was no significant association between the polymorphism and clinical stage or pathologic grade.
Conclusions: The presence of the A allele of the -160C/A polymorphism in the E-cadherin gene may be a risk factor for prostate cancer in the Japanese population.