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Observational Study
. 2023 Jun;27(6):2843-2849.
doi: 10.1007/s00784-023-04874-x. Epub 2023 Feb 7.

Association between periodontitis and breast cancer: two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Ming Ding  1   2 , Zhonghua Zhang  1   2 , Zhu Chen  3   4 , Jukun Song  5 , Beichuan Wang  1   2 , Fuqian Jin  1   2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Association between periodontitis and breast cancer: two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Ming Ding et al. Clin Oral Investig. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a causal relationship between periodontitis and breast cancer by Mendelian randomization analysis.

Materials and methods: We performed a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using publicly released genome-wide association studies (GWAS) statistics. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis. We applied complementary methods, including weighted median, weighted mode, simple mode, MR-Egger regression, and MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) to detect and correct for the effect of horizontal pleiotropy.

Results: IVW MR analysis showed no effect of periodontitis on breast cancer (IVW OR=0.99, P =0.14). Similarly, no significant causal relationship between breast cancer and periodontitis was found in reverse MR analysis (IVW OR=0.95, P =0.83). The results of MR-Egger regression, weighted median, and weighted mode methods were consistent with those of the IVW method. Based on sensitivity analyses, horizontal pleiotropy is unlikely to distort causal estimates.

Conclusions: Although observational studies have reported an association between periodontitis and breast cancer, the results of our MR analysis do not support a causal relationship between periodontitis and breast cancer.

Clinical relevance: Mendelian randomization study can more clearly analyze the causal relationship between periodontitis and breast cancer, in order to provide a certain reference for clinicians and deepen the understanding of the relationship between periodontitis and breast cancer, to explore more possible associations between periodontitis and systemic diseases.

Keywords: Breast cancer; GWAS; Mendelian randomization; Periodontitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic design of a two-sample Mendelian randomization study of periodontitis and breast cancer. This design assumes a bidirectional association between periodontitis and breast cancer, but no association with confounders. Genetic variants can influence breast cancer through periodontitis and vice versa. SNP stands for single nucleotide diversity
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plots of causal effects of breast cancer-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on periodontitis (a) and periodontitis-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on breast cancer (b)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Scatterplot of genetic association between breast cancer and periodontitis. a Genetic association of breast cancer with periodontitis and b genetic association of periodontitis with breast cancer
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot. Mendelian randomization estimates for the relationship between genetically instrumented periodontitis and breast cancer, and vice versa. CI, confidence interval; IVW, inverse-variance weighted; OR, odds ratio
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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