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. 2009 Jul 22:9:7.
doi: 10.1186/1471-5945-9-7.

Role of the EGF +61A>G polymorphism in melanoma pathogenesis: an experience on a large series of Italian cases and controls

Milena Casula  1 , Mauro Alaibac, Maria A Pizzichetta, Riccardo Bono, Paolo A Ascierto, Ignazio Stanganelli, Sergio Canzanella, Grazia Palomba, Edoardo Zattra; Italian Melanoma Intergroup (IMI); Giuseppe Palmieri
Collaborators, Affiliations

Role of the EGF +61A>G polymorphism in melanoma pathogenesis: an experience on a large series of Italian cases and controls

Milena Casula et al. BMC Dermatol. .

Abstract

Background: A single nucleotide polymorphism (61A>G) in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene has been implicated in both melanoma pathogenesis and increased melanoma risk. To further evaluate this association, we conducted a case-control study in a clinic-based Italian population.

Methods: Individuals with less than 10 (N = 127) or more than 100 (N = 128) benign nevi, and patients with cutaneous melanoma (N = 418) were investigated for the EGF +61A>G polymorphism, using an automated sequencing approach.

Results: Overall, no difference in EGF genotype frequencies was observed among subjects with different number of nevi as well as when non-melanoma healthy controls were compared with the melanoma patients. However, a heterogeneous distribution of the frequencies of the G/G genotype was detected among cases and controls originating from North Italy (21.1 and 18.3%, respectively) vs. those from South Italy (12.6 and 17.1%, respectively).

Conclusion: Our findings further suggest that EGF +61A>G polymorphism may have a limited impact on predisposition and/or pathogenesis of melanoma and its prevalence may vary in different populations.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sequencing results for the single nucleotide polymorphism at position 61 of the EGF gene. Electropherograms show the nucleotide sequences corresponding to the three different genotypes; arrows indicate the nucleotide position within the sequence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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