Polymorphisms in folate metabolizing enzymes and transport proteins and the risk of breast cancer

Background An accumulating body of evidence suggests that there is an inverse relationship between the intake of folate (a water-soluble B-vitamin) and the risk of developing breast cancer. Individual variation in the genes involved in the transport of folate, or its metabolism, may affect risk, or may modify the association between folate and breast cancer risk. Methods We performed a casecontrol study to evaluate the association between common polymorphisms in six folate-related genes and the risk of breast cancer in 1,009 breast cancer patients and 907 healthy controls. Study subjects were genotyped for eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these six genes. Results We observed no association between the MTHFR, RFC, MS and MTRR genotypes and the risk of breast cancer. Conclusion These data do not support the hypothesis that genetic variation in genes involved in the metabolism of folate are implicated in the etiology of breast cancer.