Abstract
BACKGROUND: Methylenetetrahydrofolate (MTHFR) enzyme plays an important role in folate metabolism which is involved in DNA methylation, repair, and synthesis. OBJECTIVE: We investigated if the MTHFR C677T polymorphism modulates the risk of developing breast cancer in Moroccan women. METHODS: Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP method on a sample of 96 patients with breast cancer and 117 controls. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and progesterone receptors expression (p= 0.04). According to menopausal status, the heterozygous CT (OR = 2.29 and P = 0.03) was statistically significant in pre-menopausal women. There was a significant association between C677T polymorphism and breast cancer risk in both additive (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.24-3.86, p = 0.007) and dominant (OR = 2.10, CI 95% = 1.21-3.64, p = 0.008) models. In addition, the T allele were associated with a high breast cancer risk (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.04-2.44, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: In the light of our preliminary study, 677T allele and 677CT MTHFR genotype may represent a genetic determinant increasing breast cancer risk in Moroccan women. A larger study including a larger sample size and more information is needed to confirm our conclusions.