Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and acute myeloid leukemia: a case-control study

Abstract

Objective: Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism has a role in susceptibility to risk of cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of VDR gene polymorphisms with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Methods: In this case-control study, qualified patients diagnosed with AML and healthy adult subjects were selected. Four single nucleotide gene polymorphisms of VDR gene (BsmI, TaqI, FokI, and ApaI) were determined using polymerase chain reaction -restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and the odds of having AML was determined by un-adjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis.
Results: One hundred and thirty-three AML patients and 300 healthy people were studied. There was significant association between the polymorphisms of FokI, and ApaI with increased risk of AML (P= .021, and P<.001) in which odds of the disease in patients with FF genotype were 2.5 times higher than patients with ff genotype and the odds of the disease in individuals with AA genotype was 5.6 times higher than the reference category of aa.In contrast, BsmI polymorphism had a protective effect so that for those with BB and Bb genotypes, there were 91% and 86% lower odds for getting AML than bb genotype, respectively (P<.001).
Conclusion: This study showed for the first time that there is a significant association between VDR gene polymorphisms and odds of getting AML, similarly to many other solid tumors. Further studies on different ethnic population considering environmental factors that interact with genotypes are highly recommended.