Associations between Polymorphisms in DNA Repair Genes and Glioblastoma

A pooled analysis was conducted to examine the association between select variants in DNA repair genes and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and deadliest form of adult brain tumors. Genetic data for approximately 1,000 GBM cases and 2,000 controls were combined from four centers in the United States that have conducted case-control studies of adult GBM including the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and the University of California at San Francisco. Twelve DNA repair SNPs were selected for investigation in the pilot collaborative project. The C allele of the PARP1 rs1136410 variant was associated with a 20% reduction in risk of GBM (ORCT or CC =0.80; 95%CI 0.67–0.95). A 44% increase in risk of GBM was found for individuals homozygous for the G allele of the PRKDC rs7003908 variant (ORGG 1.44; 95%CI 1.13–1.84); there was a statistically significant trend (p=0.009) with increasing number of G alleles. A significant, protective effect was found when 3 SNPs (ERCC2 rs13181, ERCC1 rs3212986, and GLTSCR1 rs1035938) located near each other on chromosome 19 were modeled as a haplotype. The most common haplotype (AGC) was associated with a 23% reduction in risk (p=0.03) compared to all other haplotypes combined. Few studies have reported on the associations between variants in DNA repair genes and brain tumors, and few specifically have examined their impact on GBMs. Our results suggest that common variation in DNA repair genes may be associated with risk of GBMs.