Polymorphisms XRCC1-R399Q and XRCC3-T241M and the risk of breast cancer at the Ontario site of the Breast Cancer Family Registry

Abstract

This study investigates the role of two nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA repair genes, X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1)-R399Q and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3)-T241M, in breast cancer. Incident cases of invasive breast cancer in Caucasian women [n = 402, mean age = 45.7 (SD = 6.2) years] and female Caucasian controls [n = 402, mean age = 45.2 (6.5) years] frequency matched on 5-year age intervals were identified from the Ontario Familial Breast Cancer Registry. No evidence for a main effect of the XRCC1-R399Q genotype on breast cancer risk was observed. Estimates of risk for a family history (FH) of breast cancer compared with no FH differed by XRCC1-R399Q genotype (P value for interaction = 0.001). Homozygote XRCC1-399 R/R individuals and FH+ were at a 2.92-fold [95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.47-5.79] increased risk of disease compared with FH- individuals; the estimate of risk increased for R/Q heterozygotes with FH+ [odds ratio (OR) = 3.85, 95% CI = 1.94-7.65] but not for Q/Q homozygotes with FH+ (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.20-1.47) compared with homozygous R/R and FH- individuals. A marginal positive association for XRCC3-241 M/M compared with T/T genotype was found (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.94-2.19), but the heterozygous T/M was not associated with an increase in risk (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.71-1.32). There was also some evidence for a combined effect of body mass index and XRCC3-T241M on estimates of risk. Our results suggest that these polymorphisms may influence breast cancer risk by modifying the effect of risk factors such as FH. There is a need for further study into the role of these polymorphisms as effect modifiers.