Effects of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) genotypes and smoking habits on lung cancer risk in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to evaluate the association and interaction of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) genetic polymorphisms with lung cancer risk in Taiwan, where lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related death.

METHODS

In this hospital-based matched case-control study, associations of up to seven ATM single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs600931, rs652311, rs227060, rs228589, rs227092, rs624366 and rs189037) with lung cancer risk were investigated among Taiwanese. In this study, 358 lung cancer patients and 716 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were genotyped and the genetic-lifestyle interaction were analyzed.

RESULTS

The results showed that the percentages of GG, AG and AA for ATM rs652311 genotypes were significantly different at 34.6%, 48.9% and 16.5% in the lung cancer patient group and 39.9%, 51.0% and 9.1% in non-cancer control group, respectively. We further analyzed the genetic-lifestyle effects on lung cancer risk and found that the contribution of ATM rs652311 A allele-bearing genotypes to lung cancer susceptibility was enhanced in the cigarette smokers and not enhanced in the non-smokers (p=0.0045 and 0.2758, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide evidence that the A allele of ATM rs652311 may be associated with lung cancer risk, and may enhance the effects of smoking habit on lung cancer development.