Home Genetic polymorphisms of alcohol metabolising enzymes: their role in susceptibility to oesophageal cancer
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Genetic polymorphisms of alcohol metabolising enzymes: their role in susceptibility to oesophageal cancer

  • Dong-Ping Li , Collet Dandara , Gabi Walther and M. Iqbal Parker
Published/Copyright: February 6, 2008
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Abstract

Background: Alcohol is a major risk factor for susceptibility to oesophageal cancer in the South African population. The role of polymorphisms in alcohol metabolising enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) in predisposition of this population to oesophageal cancer is unknown. Alcohol metabolising enzymes exhibit polymorphisms that result in variant alleles with either increased or decreased activity.

Methods: The role of these polymorphisms in increased risk of oesophageal cancer was investigated in 238 patients and 268 controls from Black and Mixed Ancestry South Africans, using the PCR/RFLP technique.

Results: The ADH3*2/*2 genotype was significantly associated with increased risk for oesophageal cancer amongst Black subjects (odds ratio, 2.19; p=0.004). The low activity ALDH2*2 allele was significantly associated with increased risk for oesophageal cancer amongst the Black subjects (odds ratio, 2.35; p=0.0084).

Conclusions: It was observed that ADH variants, ADH2*1 and ADH3*2, were associated with increased risk for oesophageal cancer, possibly due to the tolerance of the carriers of these alleles to alcohol consumption compared to those with high activity alleles (ADH2*2 and ADH2*3) which are associated with higher production of the unpleasant acetaldehyde intermediate.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:323–8.


Corresponding author: Professor M. Iqbal Parker, UCT/MRC-Oesophageal Cancer Research Group, Division of Medical Biochemistry, Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa Phone: +27-21-406-6259/6335, Fax: +27-21-406-6060,

Received: 2007-7-18
Accepted: 2007-11-19
Published Online: 2008-02-6
Published in Print: 2008-03-01

©2008 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics
  2. A rapid and accurate approach to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms of mitochondrial DNA using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
  3. An association study of sodium-lithium countertransport activity with glutathione S transferase (GST) T1 and GST M1 null polymorphisms in Greek dyslipidaemic patients and controls
  4. Size distribution of circulating cell-free DNA in sera of breast cancer patients in the course of adjuvant chemotherapy
  5. Suitability of the PAXgene™ system to stabilize bone marrow RNA in imatinib-resistant patients with chronic myeloid leukemia
  6. Genetic polymorphisms of alcohol metabolising enzymes: their role in susceptibility to oesophageal cancer
  7. 5′ ins/del and 3′ VNTR polymorphisms in the apolipoprotein B gene in relation to lipids and coronary artery disease
  8. General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
  9. Isolation and biochemical characterization of plasma monoclonal free light chains in amyloidosis and multiple myeloma: a pilot study of intact and truncated forms of light chains and their charge properties
  10. Simple method for determining human serum 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity – possible application in clinical studies on dietary antioxidants
  11. Thyroid-related autoantibodies in Tunisian patients with coeliac disease
  12. A dried serum spot assay for vitamin B12
  13. Acute-phase response proteins are related to cachexia and accelerated angiogenesis in gastroesophageal cancers
  14. Vitamin D binding protein, a new nutritional marker in cystic fibrosis patients
  15. Effects of total cholesterol and triglyceride on the percentage difference between the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration measured directly and calculated using the Friedewald formula
  16. Gallstone analysis using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR)
  17. Coenzyme Q10 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in ischemic and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
  18. Increased plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in retinal venous occlusive disease
  19. Effects of extended-release felodipine on endothelial vasoactive substances in patients with essential hypertension
  20. Reference Values
  21. Lithium heparinised blood-collection tubes give falsely low albumin results with an automated bromcresol green method in haemodialysis patients
  22. Infrequency of low red blood cell (RBC) folate levels despite no folate fortification program: a study based on results from routine requests for RBC folate
  23. Validation and Outcome Studies
  24. A new serum cystatin C-based equation for assessing glomerular filtration rate in liver transplantation
  25. Development of des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) measuring reagent using the LiBASys clinical analyzer
  26. Letters to the Editor
  27. High oxygen-affinity hemoglobin variant associated with high-level venous oxygen saturation
  28. Interference in urinary free cortisol determination by components of the NuvaRing® contraceptive device
  29. The neutral protease chymase degrades apolipoprotein E from high-density lipoproteins
  30. Unclear results in the article by Wolff and Gerritzen in Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45(7):917–922
  31. Potassium report of hemolyzed serum samples
  32. Reply to the letter by Carraro: appropriate actions in the detection of haemolytic specimens
Downloaded on 11.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/CCLM.2008.073/html
Scroll to top button