Abstract
Incidence of breast cancer shows geographical variation, even within areas of ethnic homogeneity. Saudi Arabia has witnessed an increase in occurrence of breast cancer in its unexplored ethnic populations over the past few years. We aimed at determining whether any association exists between single nucleotide polymorphisms in breast cancer associated gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer associated gene 2 (BRCA2) and the risk of breast cancer. TaqMan based Real Time Polymerase chain reaction genotyping assays were used to determine the frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms in BRCA1 (rs799917) and BRCA2 (rs144848) in a group of 100 breast cancer patients and unaffected age matched controls of Saudi Arabian origin. The present data revealed that neither BRCA1 nor the BRCA2 studied variant show any significant association with the disease. This study failed to find any role of the concerned variants in breast cancer either as risk or as prognostic factors. The small number of patients registered was one of the limitations of this study. In summary, comparison of mutation profile with other ethnic populations and regions reflected both differences and similarities indicating co-exposure to a unique set of risk factors. The differences could be due to exposure to particular environmental carcinogens; different lifestyle, reproductive pattern; dietary or cultural practices of Saudi Arabian women that need further investigations.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the most common cause of cancer death (National Statistics)
Saudi Arabia has witnessed an increase in occurrence of breast cancer in its unexplored ethnic populations over the past few years
We aimed at determining whether any association exists between single nucleotide polymorphisms in breast cancer associated gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer associated gene 2 (BRCA2) and the risk of breast cancer
Summary
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the most common cause of cancer death (National Statistics). Saudi Arabia, over past few years, witnesses an increase in incidence and occurrence of breast cancer in its unexplored ethnic population. In Saudi population 21% of total female cancer diagnosis refers to breast cancer. The 2002 annual report of Saudi National Cancer Registry enlighten the fact that breast cancers developed before the age of 40 comprise 26.4% of all female breast cancers comparing to 6.5% in the USA. Young age in female had been reported as an independent risk factor for breast cancer in the Saudi population (Elkum et al, 2007). The risk of breast cancer is raised about two fold in the affected Saudi women. Several studies have identified an association with SNPs and breast cancer in the Chinese population (Ma et al, 2006)
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