FUNCTIONAL GENE POLYMORPHISM AS INDICATOR OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION AMONG OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS

Introduction: Increasing evidence of hormonal disruption and incidence of female reproductive cancers has been reported in recent years. Various documents support the alteration of epigenetic mechanisms and cancer progression among females. Ovarian cancer is one of the more prevalent with high mortality cancer in females. Its 90% progression is due to exogenous materials. These environmental contaminants alter hormonal activity by disrupting the endocrine system.

Aim and Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the association between Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and the progression of ovarian cancer.

Methodology: As a case-control study, blood samples from ovarian cancer patients and healthy volunteers were genetically analysed to determine the Tp53, CDKN2 and KRAS polymorphisms using PCR-RFLP.

Results: The patients with a mean age of 55 years and determined tumour stage, tumor grade, histological type and FIGO stage were considered for the study. The incidence of heterozygous GC genotype was high among cases (52%) followed by GG and CC genotypes at 26% and 22% respectively in determining the genotype and allele frequency of TP53 gene codon 7. The genotypic distribution of CDKN2A (p16C540G) in ovarian cancer patients the GG, GC and CC genotypes in SNP were observed in 22%, 52% and 26%, respectively (P=0.007). The frequency of the KRAS gene polymorphism (codon 12) in ovarian cancer patients was 14% (TT), 46% (TG) and 20% (GG), P=0.01. 

Conclusion: A significant association between gene polymorphism and the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer was noticed in the study.