Abstract. Tumor protein 53 (TP53), a tumor suppressor gene, is a vital cellular cancer suppressor in multicellular organisms. Murine double minute-2 (MDM2) is an oncoprotein that inhibits TP53 activity. A number of studies have examined the association of TP53 and MDM2 polymorphisms with the risk of common forms of cancer, but the findings remain inconclusive. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the 40-bp insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism (rs3730485) in the MDM2 promoter region and the 16-bp I/D polymorphism (rs17878362) in TP53 on the susceptibility of prostate cancer (PCa) in a sample of the Iranian population. This case-control study included 103 patients with pathologically confirmed PCa and 142 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. The
IntroductionProstate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent form of cancer among males in the United States (1). In Iran, the incidence of PCa is ~9.6 cases per 100,000 individuals, with a range of 3.2-16.0 per 100,000 in various geographical settings (2,3). This is comparable with the Asia-Pacific region (9.9 per 100,000), but significantly lower than in the rest of the world (32.8 per 100,000) (4). The median age at diagnosis is ~66 years and the 5-year survival rate of patients with PCa has been estimated to be 98.9% (5).The molecular mechanisms underlying the progression and carcinogenesis of PCa have not yet been clarified. Additional molecular markers that may be employed to detect PCa and to individualize patient therapy and prognosis are of great clinical importance. A number of large cohort and case-control studies with various populations suggest that family history is a primary risk factor for PCa (6-10).In humans, the tumor protein 53 (TP53) gene is located on the short arm of chromosome 17 (17p13.1) (11). TP53, an important tumor suppressor gene, is a crucial regulator of apoptosis and the cell cycle (12-15). When it is mutated, this regulation may be lost, leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation and potentially tumorigenesis (16).The human MDM2 gene is mapped on chromosome 12q14. 3-15 (17). MDM2 functions as a key negative regulator of TP53 (18)