Genetic Variant of Luteinizing Hormone and Risk of Breast Cancer in Older Women1
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology [A. A., P. T.] and Environmental Medicine [A. A., P. T., A. Z-J.] and Kaplan Comprehensive Cancer Center [P. T., A. Z-J.], New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, and Departments of Biotechnology [K. P.] and Physiology [I. H.], University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
Abstract
A genetic variant of luteinizing hormone (LH) characterized by two point mutations in codons 8 (TGG→CGG) and 15 (ATC→ACC) of the LHβ -subunit gene has been described recently. As compared with wild-type LH, the variant LH appears to have higher in vitro bioactivity but a shortened circulatory half-life, and it has been reported to affect circulating levels of sex hormones. Our purpose was to determine whether the variant form of LH is associated with an altered risk of breast cancer. This hypothesis was addressed in a case-control study nested within a prospective cohort that included 270 cases of breast cancer and twice as many matching control subjects. The study was limited to subjects diagnosed at age 50 years or older. The LH status was determined by the combination of two immunofluorometric assays of serum using monoclonal antibodies. Frequency of the variant LH was similar in breast cancer cases and controls (11.5% versus 10.7%). In conditional regression models, the presence of the variant LH was not associated with a considerable increase of breast cancer risk (odds ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.68–1.69). Adjustment for potential confounders did not notably change the risk estimate (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.69–1.78). These observations do not appear to support the hypothesis that this particular variant of LH is associated with altered risk of breast cancer diagnosed at age 50 years and older.
Footnotes
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↵1 Supported primarily by United States Department of Defense Research Grant DAMD17-97-1-7226 and by USPHS Grants R01 CA34588 and P30 CA16087 from the National Cancer Institute.
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↵2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, NB 9E2, New York, NY 10016. Phone: (212) 263-7763; Fax: (212) 263-8887; E-mail: akhmea01{at}popmail.med.nyu.edu
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↵3 The abbreviations used are: LH, luteinizing hormone; mAb, monoclonal antibody; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; NYU, New York University.
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- Accepted June 5, 1900.
- Received September 30, 1999.
- Revision received May 10, 1900.
