Objective: To investigate the association between genetic polymorphisms in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and risk of breast cancer among women.
Methods: Two hundred seventeen cases with breast cancer and 218 matched controls were genotyped for the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms by PCR-RFLP methods. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using unconditional logistic regression model.
Results: We found that the frequency of the MTHFR C677TT genotype among cases was significantly different from that among controls (32.7% vs. 24.8%; P = 0.02). The MTHFR C677TT genotype had an increased risk of breast cancer compared with the 677CC genotype (95% CI, 1.09 - 3.14). No significant association between the MTHFR C677T or A1298C polymorphism and risk of the cancer was observed.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that 677CT polymorphism in MTHFR may be a genetic susceptibility factor for breast cancer among Chinese women.