Genetic polymorphisms of Cathepsin B are associated with gastric cancer risk and prognosis in a Chinese population

BACKGROUND: Genetic polymorphisms are believed to represent a key aspect of predisposition to gastric cancer (GC). Therefore, considering the important role of Cathepsin B (CTSB) in promoting cancer onset and development, it could be very worthful to explore the function of CTSB-related genetic polymorphisms in GC. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the correlation of CTSB-related polymorphisms (rs9009A>T, rs6731T>C, rs1293303G>C, rs1874547C>T, rs3779659C>T, rs17814426C>T and rs148669985C>T) with GC risk and prognosis in a casecontrol study of 994 cases and 1000 controls. METHODS: All tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) sequencing technology. RESULTS: The results indicated rs9009, rs6731 and rs17814426 correlated with decreased risks of GC (HR = 0.97, p < 0.001; HR = 0.86, P = 0.019; HR = 0.85, P = 0.017; respectively). Stratification analysis further showed rs17814426 variant genotypes correlated with earlier T stage (p = 0.044). In addition, GC patients carrying the C allele of rs6371 had better overall prognosis (HR = 0.62, 95%CI = 0.44-0.88). CONCLUSION: Our results firstly suggested the importance of CTSB-related polymorphisms on GC which could predict GC risk and prognosis.

Automated summary

This study investigated the correlation of CTSB-related polymorphisms with gastric cancer (GC) risk and prognosis, finding that certain variants were associated with decreased risks of GC, earlier T stage, and better overall prognosis. The results suggest the importance of CTSB-related polymorphisms in predicting GC risk and prognosis.