Polymorphisms in the genes of the urokinase plasminogen activation system in relation to colorectal cancer

• Background: Extracellular matrix degradation, mediated by the urokinase plasminogen activation (uPA) system, is a critical step in tumor invasion and metastasis. High tumor levels of uPA and its inhibitor PAI-1 have been correlated with poor cancer prognosis. We examined four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with a potential effect on expression of genes in the uPA system for their role in colorectal cancer susceptibility and prognosis.Patients and methods: We genotyped the SNPs in 308 Swedish incident colorectal cancer patients with up to 16 years of follow-up and in 585 age- and sex-matched controls. We evaluated the associations between genotypes and colorectal cancer and Dukes' stage. Survival probabilities were compared between different subgroups.Results: Patients with PAI-1 –675 5G/5G genotype had better survival than patients with 4G/4G or 4G/5G genotypes when they had Dukes' stage A or B tumors (P = 0.023 and P = 0.015, respectively). No statistically significant association was observed between the SNPs and the risk of colorectal cancer or Dukes' stage.Conclusions: Our results suggest a role for the PAI-1 genotype in colorectal cancer prognosis, but further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of our finding in the clinic.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

colorectal cancer

PAI-1

prognostic biomarker

single nucleotide polymorphism

uPA system

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)