1. ¹Department of Oncology Pathology, Karolinska Institutet/Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
2. ²Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgical Science, Karolinska Institutet/Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
3. ³Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet/Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence: Dr RJ Strawbridge, Department of Oncology Pathology Karolinska Institutet, Cancer Centrum Karolinska, R8:05, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm 171 76, Sweden. Tel: +46 085 177 0585; Fax: +46 8 321 047. E-mail: rona.strawbridge@ki.se

Received 8 February 2008; Revised 22 May 2008; Accepted 19 June 2008; Published online 16 July 2008.

Abstract

Gene expression profiling has identified MUC1 as being significantly overexpressed in prostate cancer with poor clinical outcome after radical surgery, but the molecular mechanisms are still unclear. In this paper, we examined whether the genetic variation in MUC1 alters prostate cancer risk and progression. We identified five haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms that describe inherited genetic variation in and around MUC1. Individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms as well as haplotypes were tested for association with prostate cancer risk and prognosis in 2760 cases and 1722 controls from the Swedish population. We found no association between any single-nucleotide polymorphism or haplotype in the MUC1 and risk of prostate cancer. Stratifying for disease severity or age of onset did not alter the results. Moreover, we observed no association with MUC1 variation and prostate cancer-specific survival. Common variants in MUC1 and the surrounding region are not associated with risk or prognosis of prostate cancer in Swedish men.