rs621554 single nucleotide polymorphism of DLC1 is associated with breast cancer susceptibility and prognosis.
Deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC1) on chromosome 8p22, is an important tumor suppressor gene originally identified to be deleted in hepatocellular carcinoma. It can regulate the structure of the actin cytoskeleton and inhibit cell proliferation, motility and angiogenesis, which predominantly depends on its homology to rat RhoGAP. There are many genetic variants in DLC1, which may influence its antitumor efficacy. The rs621554 (IVS19+108C>T) polymorphism is a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) previously found to be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. In the present study, 453 patients with breast cancer and 330 healthy females were analyzed using a cycling probe method. It was determined that the rs621554 polymorphism of DLC1 was associated with breast cancer susceptibility, with the CC and CT genotypes resulting in a higher risk of developing breast cancer. In regard to clinicopathological variables, it was demonstrated that the CT and CC genotype were associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis and progesterone receptor status. Patients with the CT and CC genotype had shorter disease-free survival and overall survival rates compared with those with the TT genotype. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the rs621554 polymorphism was correlated with DLC1 expression at the mRNA level. These results suggested that the rs621554 polymorphism is associated with breast cancer susceptibility and prognosis, and may serve as a biomarker for breast cancer development and progression.