Monika Sivoňová1, Tatiana Matáková1, Ján Kliment2, Róbert Dušenka1,2, Mária Tajtáková3, Alena Pidaničová3, Ladislav Valanský4, Dušan Dobrota1
Introduction: Presence of endogenous androgens has long been considered as risk factors for prostate cancer. It has been postulated that variants in the genes of the enzymes involved in androgen biosynthesis and metabolism may be thereby affecting disease risk. One such gene is CYP17, which encodes the cytochrome P-450c17α enzyme. Promoter region of the CYP17 gene contains a polymorphic T-to-C substitution that is hypothesized to increase transcription of the gene and thus, lead to higher androgen levels. Material and methods: The aim of our study was to investigate the distribution of the CYP17 genotypes between a control group and prostate cancer patients by using PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis). The χ2 method was used to test frequencies of genotypes/allele in prostate cancer patients and controls. Results: Compared with men with the A1/A1 genotype, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.06 (95 % CI = 0.68-1.64) for the A1/A2 and 0.66 (95 % CI = 0.37-1.19) for the A2/A2 genotype. The multivariate analysis confirmed the association between PSA levels and CYP17 genotypes (A1/A1 vs. A1/A2; A2/A2). Prostate cancer patients with PSA levels (4-10 ng/ml) and A1/A2; A2/A2 genotypes had an excess risk to develop prostate cancer (OR = 2.84, 95 % CI = 1.06-7.62; OR = 3.15, 95 % CI = 0.75-13.28, respectively). Conclusions: These results suggest that the CYP17 A1/A2 and A2/A2 genotypes predict susceptibility to prostate cancer in men with serum PSA levels above 4 ng/ml and this polymorphism could serve as a candidate genetic marker for prostate cancer.