Significant Association of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms with Prostate Cancer Susceptibility in Taiwan

Prostate cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in men and is a major health problem worldwide. Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) plays an important role in folate metabolism and is also an important source of DNA methylation and DNA synthesis (nucleotide synthesis). To assess the association and interaction of genotypic polymorphisms in MTHFR and lifestyle factors with prostate cancer in Taiwan, we investigated two well-known polymorphic variants of MTHFR, C677T (rs1801133) and Al298C (rs1801131), analyzed the association of specific genotypes with prostate cancer susceptibility, and discussed their joint effects with individual habits on prostate cancer risk. In total, 218 patients with prostate cancer and 436 healthy controls recruited from the China Medical Hospital in central Taiwan were genotyped for these polymorphisms with prostate cancer susceptibility. We found the MTHFR C677T but not the Al298C genotype was differently distributed between the prostate cancer and control groups. The T allele of MTHFR C677T conferred a significantly (p=0.0011) decreased risk of prostate cancer. As for the Al298C polymorphism, there was no difference in distribution between the prostate cancer and control groups. Gene interactions with smoking were significant for MTHFR C677T polymorphism. The MTHFR C677T CT and TT genotypes in association with smoking conferred a decreased risk of 0.501 (95% confidence interval=0.344-0.731) for prostate cancer. Our results provide the first evidence that the C allele of MTHFR C677T may be associated with the development of prostate cancer and may be a novel useful marker for primary prevention and anticancer intervention.