The Association between the C(-1562)T Polymorphism of Type IV Collagenase Gene and Reduced Age of Onset of Lung Cancer

Type IV collagenase gene is capable of degrading type IV collagen which is the major structural component of basement membrane. It also increased the bioavailability of pro-angiogenic factors including vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-β. A cytosine (C) thymine (T) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position 1562 of the type IV collagenase promoter has been reported to affect gene expression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the C(-1562)T polymorphism and risk of lung cancer in different age groups in Iran population. Genotyping of C(-1562)T polymorphism in type IV collagenase gene was performed by taking out genomic DNA from blood samples of 120 patients with lung cancer and 100 age-matched controls by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR). Chi-square test was used to calculate adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). All analyses were performed in SPSS. Distribution of C(-1562)T genotype in type IV collagenase promoter was significantly associated with the risk of lung cancer in the age group of < 60 years (OR = 19.89; 95% CI = 3.21-120.60). Our results indicated that C(-1562)T polymorphism in type IV collagenase gene affects the risk of lung cancer in different age groups, i.e. aging less than 60 years was significantly related with initiation of lung cancer.