Genetic variants in the vitamin D receptor gene and prostate cancer risk

Abstract

Vitamin D receptor (VDR), a member of the steroid/thyroid hormone nuclear receptor family, is bound by the steroid hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3, which is thought to play a role in the etiology and progression of prostate cancer. Polymorphisms in the VDR gene have been associated with prostate cancer risk, although findings are inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to determine if VDR polymorphisms were associated with prostate cancer risk using a large, Australian population-based study of 812 cases and 713 controls frequency-matched by age. As the 3′ region polymorphisms are in strong linkage disequilibrium, for joint effects, we only evaluated the common g.60890G > A polymorphis..