The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T gene polymorphism decreases the risk of childhood acute lymphocytic leukaemia

We have determined the prevalence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutations C677T and A1298C in 71 children (less than or equal to 15 years) with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and in 71 control subjects. Odds ratio (OR) for ALL linked to MTHFR C677T was 0.4 (95% CI 0.2-0.8); for heterozygotes it was 0.5 (95% CI 0.2-0.9) and for homozygotes it was 0.3 (95%CI 0.09-0.8), MTHFR A1298C yielded an overall OR for AIL of 1.3 (95% CI: 0.7-2.6); for heterozygotes it was 1.3 (95% CI: 0.7-7.6) and for homozygotes it was 2.8 (95% CI 0.5-15.6). In conclusion, MTHFR C677T was linked to a significant 2.4-fold decreased risk of developing childhood ALL, whereas MTHFR A1298C did not significantly affect the risk of ALL in our population.