Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 -1562T Allele and its Combination with MMP-2 -735 C Allele are Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

Background: Expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is up-regulated in human cancers. The aimof present study was to investigate the role of MMP-9 C-1562T polymorphism and its interaction with MMP-2 C-735T polymorphism in susceptibility to breast cancer in a population from Western Iran with Kurdishethnic background. Materials and
Methods: The study sample of 205 individuals consisted of 101 breast cancerpatients and 104 healthy subjects. MMP-9 C-1562T and MMP-2 C-735T variants were identified using thepolymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.
Results: Among67.4% of studied patients the breast cancer developed in the third and forth decades of the life. The frequencyof MMP-9 T allele was 17.3% in patients and 10.1% in controls. The presence of T allele significantly increasedthe risk of breast cancer by 1.87-fold [OR=1.87 (95% CI 1.05-3.33, p=0.035)]. The frequency of MMP-9 CT+TTgenotype tended to be higher in those patients with a family history of cancer in first degree-relatives (36.8%)than those without a family history (28.3%, p=0.37). We observed an interaction between the MMP-9 -1562 Tallele with MMP-2 -735 C allele that significantly increased the risk of breast cancer [OR=1.42 (95% CI 1.02-1.98, p=0.036)].
Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that MMP-9 C-1562T polymorphism alone andin combination with MMP-2 C-735T polymorphism increased the risk of breast cancer that might be a usefulbiomarker in identifying women at risk of developing breast cancer. Also, this study revealed that in most womenfrom Western Iran breast cancer presents in third and fourth decades of life.