Colorectal Cancer
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2006; 12(38): 6128-6132
Published online Oct 14, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i38.6128
Total plasma homocysteine and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism in patients with colorectal carcinoma
Sandra Battistelli, Aurelio Vittoria, Massimo Stefanoni, Camilla Bing, Franco Roviello
Sandra Battistelli, Camilla Bing, Dipartimento di Chirurgia e Specialità Chirurgiche, Università degli Studi, Policlinico Le Scotte, Viale Bracci, Siena 53100, Italy
Aurelio Vittoria, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Scienze Immunologiche, Università degli Studi, Policlinico Le Scotte, Viale Bracci, Siena 53100, Italy
Massimo Stefanoni, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia d’Urgenza e di Accettazione, Ospedale Civile di Gorizia, Italy
Franco Roviello, Dipartimento di Patologia Umana ed Oncologia, U.O. Chirurgia Oncologica Università degli Studi, Policlinico Le Scotte, Viale Bracci, Siena 53100, Italy
Supported by a research grant from the University of Siena (PAR)
Correspondence to: Franco Roviello, Via A. De Gasperi 5, Siena 53100, Italy. roviello@unisi.it
Telephone: +39-577-585157 Fax: +39-577-585157
Received: November 30, 2005
Revised: March 8, 2006
Accepted: March 26, 2006
Published online: October 14, 2006
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the behaviour of total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) and its most common genetic determinant defect, the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T (C677TMTHFR) polymorphism in patients with early stage colorectal carcinoma.

METHODS: tHcy was quantified by Abbott IMx immunoassay; screening for C677TMTHFR substitution was performed by PCR and restriction analysis.

RESULTS: The frequency of the C/T and T/T genotypes of the C677TMTHFR gene polymorphism did not differ between the groups. The mean tHcy was statistically higher in cancer patients than in control subjects carrying the same C/C or C/T genotype, whereas there was no difference in the T/T homozygous carriers of the two groups. tHcy was significantly higher in the T/T homozygous carriers than in C/C and C/T genotype carriers.

CONCLUSION: The statistically significant increase of tHcy observed in C/C and C/T genotype carriers among our cancer patients is related to substrate consumption dependent on the tumor cell proliferation rate, whereas the tHcy increase observed in T/T genotype carriers of both groups probably depends on the enzymatic deficit of the homocysteine conversion to methionine and/or on the folate deficiency.

Keywords: Homocysteine, Colorectal cancer, Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism