Influence of MUC1 genetic variation on prostate cancer risk and survival

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.