The steroid 5α-reductase type II TA repeat polymorphism is not associated with risk of breast or ovarian cancer in Australian women

Abstract

The enzyme 5α-reductase type II (SRD5A2) converts testosterone to its more active form 5α-dihydroxytestosterone. The 3′ untranslated region of the gene contains a (TA)n length polymorphism. The (TA)9 allele has been reported to be associated with higher serum prostate-specific antigen levels in breast tumors and lower risk of relapse in breast cancer patients and more recently has also been reported to be linked to the codon 89 valine variant, which is itself associated with higher serum prostate-specific antigen levels in breast tumors and a more favorable breast cancer prognosis. We investigated whether the SRD5A2 (TA)n polymorphism was associated with risk of breast or ovarian cancer in A..