P53 Codon 72 and Endometrium Cancer

Background : The possible role p53 codon 72 in endometrium cancer has been investigated in several human populations: a positive association with the Pro variant has been observed in Asiatic but not in Caucasian populations. We reasoned that polymorphisms associated with endometrium cancer may interact with p53 codon 72 influencing the degree of association between this polymorphism and cancer. Methods : Sixty nine women admitted to the hospital for endometrium cancer and 473 healthy subjects were studied in the White population of Rome. Verbal consent was obtained from these subjects to participate to the study that was approved by the Department. P53 codon 72, ADA 1 , ADA 6 and PTPN22 genotypes were determined by DNA analysis Statistical analysis were performed by using commercial software (SPSS). Results : The joint genotype carrying the *Pro allele of p53 codon 72and the ADA 1 *2 allele, the joint genotype carrying the *Pro allele and ADA 6 *1 allele and the joint genotype carrying the *Pro allele and *C/*C genotype of PTPN22 show a proportion greater in cancer than in controls. The proportion of *Pro allele carriers in endometrium cancer shows a positive correlation (p=0.019) with the number of genetic factors considered i.e. ADA 1 ,ADA 6 , PTPN22. Conclusion : Our data suggest that the strength of association between the disease and p53 codon 72 depends on other genetic factors. Thus the different patterns of association between p53 codon 72 and endometrium cancer observed among human populations could be at least in part related to differences in allelic frequencies of these genetic factors.