Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and the incidence is increasing in developed as well as developing countries including Kazakhstan. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are considered to be cancer susceptibility genes as they play a role in the detoxification of carcinogenic species. In this case-control study the influence of GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms on CRC risk in Kazakhstan population were evaluated.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients diagnosed with rectal or colon cancer (300 individuals) as well as a control cohort of healthy volunteers (300 individuals), taking into account the age, gender, ethnicity, and smoking habits of the CRC patients. Deletion polymorphisms were genotyped employing a multiplex PCR amplification method. Association between polymorphisms and CRC susceptibility risk was calculated using multivariate analysis and logistic regression for odd ratio (OR).
Results: The homozygous GSTM1 null genotype was associated with significantly increased risk of CRC (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.45-2.79, p = 0.0001) while the homozygous GSST1 null genotype was not associated with the risk of developing CRC (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.78-1.55, p = 0.001), but the heterozygous genotype correlated with CRC susceptibility (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.30-3.00, p = 0.001). Also, separate analyses of each of the main ethnic groups (Kazakh and Russian) showed a strong association of GSTM1 null genotype with CRC risk (for Kazakhs OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.35-4.10, p = 0.006 and for Russians OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.17-2.89, p = 0.003). The CRC risk of GSTM1 null genotype in smokers was considerably higher (OR = 3.37, 95% CI = 1.78-6.38, p = 0.0007). The combination of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes in combined mixed population of Kazakhstan showed a trend to increasing the risk of developing CRC (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.00-2.56), but it was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: In conclusion, the results of this case-control study for sporadic cases of CRC show that GSTM1 deletion polymorphisms can have predictive value for susceptibility to CRC (OR = 2.01, p = 0.0001) for the mixed population from Kazakhstan and for both main ethnic groups (Kazakhs and Russians (OR = 2.36 and OR = 1.84, respectively)).