Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of MET T1010I and MET rs40239 as potential risk factor and/or prognostic markers in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Methods: 114 samples of DNA from paraffin-embedded breast normal tissues of patients with TNBC and 124 samples of healthy controls were collected and analyzed for MET T1010I and MET rs40239 polymorphisms. Results: MET T1010I CT genotype was associated with increased risk of TNBC in both univariate and multivariate analysis. The status of rs40239 was not associated with a higher risk for TNBC at either the univariate or the multivariate analysis. None of the examined polymorphisms was associated with overall survival at the univariate or multivariate Cox regression analysis (adjusted HR=1.35, 95% CI: 0.31-5.97 for MET T1010I CT/TT vs CC; adjusted HR=1.78, 95% CI: 0.73-4.35 for rs40239 AG/GG vs AA). Conclusion: Our case-control study suggests that MET T1010I seems to be a risk factor for TNBC in the Caucasian Greek population, in contrast with MET rs40239, where no correlation was found.
Keywords: MET T1010I; MET rs40239; SNPS; biomarker; triple-negative breast cancer.