Association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the VEGF gene with the risk of renal cell carcinoma.

Aims: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein plays an important role in tumor development and progression. Polymorphisms in the VEGF gene may lead to over- or underexpression of the protein and may be associated with either risk or progression of malignancy. The aim of this case–control study is to identify and quantify the correlation between VEGF polymorphisms and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Results: Restriction fragment length polymorphism methods were used for the analysis of VEGF polymorphisms at −2578 and +936 positions in the promoter and 3′-untranslated regions, respectively. The VEGF −2578 A-allele was associated with an increased risk of RCC (odds ratio: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2–2.3) and A-carrier genotypes were strongly correlated (odds ratio: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.5–4.7) with higher risk. Comparison of VEGF +936 C/T polymorphism between patient and control groups revealed no association with renal carcinoma. Both VEGF −2578 C/A and VEGF +936 C/T polymorphisms showed no significant association with...