Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The potential role of the cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 polymorphism has been reported in relation to the risk of gastrointestinal tract malignancies. Therefore, we investigated whether COX-2 polymorphisms are associated with the risk of gastric cancer (GC) in Korea, one of the areas with a high prevalence of this condition. METHODS: We evaluated the genotypic frequencies of COX-2-765 and -1195 in 100 peptic ulcer patients, 100 GC patients, and 100 healthy controls. The polymorphisms of the COX-2-765 and -1195 genes were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms. RESULTS: The frequencies of the COX-2-1195 GG, GA, and AA genotype were 20%, 60%, and 20% in intestinal-type GC and 8%, 48%, and 44% in diffuse-type GC, respectively (p=0.021). There were no significant differences in the frequency of COX-2-765 genotypes between intestinal-type GC and diffuse-type GC (p=0.603). Age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that the COX-2-1195 AA genotype was the independent risk factor of diffuse-type GC compared with the COX-2-1195 GG genotype (p=0.041; odds ratio, 6.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.077 to 35.870). CONCLUSIONS: The COX-2-1195 AA genotype may render subjects more susceptible to diffuse-type GC.