POLYMORPHISM OF THE COX-2 GENE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO COLON AND RECTAL CANCER

BACKGROUND: The colorectal neoplasm is the fourth most common malignancy among males and the third among females. In the Western world is estimated that 5% of the population will develop it, making this disease a major public health problem. AIM: To analyze the prevalence of the polymorphism -765G / C region of the COX-2 gene in colorectal cancer patients compared to a control group, analyzing the possible association between this polymorphism and susceptibility to colorectal cancer. METHOD: This is a case-control study with 85 participants. Were selected 25 with colorectal cancer (case group) and 60 participants without colorectal neoplasia (control group). The molecular genetic analysis was perform to identify the polymorphism -765G / C COX2 gene with standard literature technique. In addition, patient’s clinical and pathological data were analyzed. RESULTS: There was a light increase in prevalence between men in the case group, although this difference was not statistically significant. The results showed a high prevalence of GC and CC genotype in individuals with colorectal cancer, demonstrating an association between the presence of the polymorphism in the COX2 gene and susceptibility to colorectal cancer in this pattern (p=0.02). Similarly, there was also difference in allele frequencies in the groups. When patients with cancer were separated by tumor location, there was a higher prevalence of polymorphism in the left colon (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: The polymorphism in the COX2 gene is associated with increased susceptibility to colorectal cancer, specially rectosigmoid tumors.