Glutathione S-transferase Z1 (GSTZ1) gene polymorphism in gastric cancer: a preliminary study in a Turkish population.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether there is a relationship between genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase zeta 1 (GSTZ1) and gastric cancer. The contribution of GSTZ1 genotypes to susceptibility to the risk of gastric cancer (GC) is still unclear.

METHODS

Using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method in an ethnic Turkish population, we examined the frequency of the GSTZ1 gene polymorphism in patients with GC patients (n = 73) and control individuals (n = 80).

RESULTS

For GSTZ1 A94G polymorphism, in the group of patients with the GC, the frequency of the GG genotype was quite a bit higher in comparison with that of the control group; however, this increase was not statistically significant. For the GSTZ1 A124G polymorphism, the GSTZ1 heterozygous genotype (AG) occurred more frequently in GC patients than in controls; however, it was not associated with risk of developing GC. We found no significant association between the A94G or A124G variants of the GSTZ1 gene and risk of gastric cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate no association between GSTZ1 genotypes and risk of gastric cancer. Despite its marked decline in many industrialized countries, gastric cancer remains the most common cause of death by cancer in areas such as Japan, Turkey, and South America. Gastric cancer (GC) is a disease of complex etiology that involves intimately interconnected infectious, dietary, environmental, and genetic factors. Although it has been estimated that 67% of GCs could be prevented by implementing lifestyle changes, the fact that some individuals develop GC but others do not, despite exposure to similar potentially carcinogenic factors, suggests that genetic predisposition may also play an important role in the etiology of GC.