Endostatin gene variation and protein levels in breast cancer susceptibility and severity
2007

Endostatin Gene Variation and Breast Cancer

Sample size: 1600 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Balasubramanian Sabapathy P, Cross Simon S, Globe Jenny, Cox Angela, Brown Nicola J, Reed Malcolm W

Primary Institution: University of Sheffield

Hypothesis

The study aimed to determine the role of the Endostatin polymorphism in breast cancer pathogenesis and its influence on serum Endostatin levels.

Conclusion

The Endostatin 4349A allele is associated with invasive breast cancer, but not with breast cancer susceptibility or severity.

Supporting Evidence

  • The rare allele (A) was significantly associated with invasive breast cancers compared to non-invasive tumors.
  • There was no association with breast cancer susceptibility.
  • Serum Endostatin levels were not associated with genotype.
  • Endostatin protein expression showed no significant correlation with tumor characteristics.

Takeaway

This study looked at a gene related to a protein that helps stop tumors from growing. They found that a specific change in this gene is linked to more serious breast cancer but not to getting breast cancer in the first place.

Methodology

The study involved genotyping the Endostatin polymorphism in breast cancer cases and controls, measuring serum Endostatin levels, and assessing protein expression on tissue microarrays.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the restriction of the study population to a single ethnic group.

Limitations

The study was limited to Caucasian women and did not perform multivariate analyses due to its exploratory nature.

Participant Demographics

Caucasian women, including 846 breast cancer cases and 707 controls.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.03

Confidence Interval

95% CI = 1–17.5

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2407-7-107

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