Gene variant for vitamin D receptor linked to melanoma

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The BsmI variant of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene appears to increase the risk of cutaneous melanoma, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Polymorphisms in the VDR gene have been hypothesized to affect the risk of melanoma, but findings from prior studies have been conflicting. The current investigation represents the first meta-analysis performed on published data, according to the report in the September 22nd online issue of Cancer.

Data from six studies, which included a total of 2152 cases and 2410 controls, were included in the analysis. Together, the studies examined the impact of five VDR variants (TaqI, FokI, BsmI, EcoRV, and Cdx2) on the risk of melanoma.

The BsmI variant was linked to melanoma with a pooled odds ratio of 1.30 (p = 0.002) and population-attributable risk of 9.2%, report Dr. Simone Mocellin and Dr. Donato Nitti, from the University of Padua, Italy.

The FokI polymorphism did not affect the risk of melanoma. The impact of the other three variants was less clear. For the TaqI and EcoRV variants, study heterogeneity precluded genotype data pooling. With Cdx2, there did not seem to be a link with melanoma, although only one study examined this variant.

The authors conclude that "although the functional effect of the VDR BsmI single nucleotide polymorphism has not been elucidated fully, these findings indirectly support the hypothesis that sun exposure may have an anti-melanoma effect through activation of the vitamin D system, as proposed for other cancer types."

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