Objectives: To investigate the association between genetic polymorphism of sulfotransferase1A1 (SULT1A1), cigarette smoking, hazardous chemical exposure and urothelial cancer risk in a Taiwanese population.
Methods: In a hospital-based case-control study, a total of 300 urothelial cancer (UC) cases and 300 cancer-free controls frequency-matched by age and gender were recruited from September 1998 to December 2005. The SULT1A1 arginine213histidine (Arg213His) polymorphism was genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.
Results: We found that the significantly increased UC risks of ever smokers and heavy smokers (> or =28 pack-years) were 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-3.3) and 2.2 (95% CI = 1.3-3.6), respectively. An increased UC risk of 1.8 (95% CI = 0.8-3.8) was observed among individuals with more than one item of hazardous chemical exposure, but it was not statistically significant. Compared with study subjects carrying the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype, those with SULT1A1 Arg/His or His/His genotypes have a significantly decreased UC risk (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3-0.8). Heavy smokers carrying the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype have a significantly increased UC risk (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.3-11.6). Individuals who had been exposed to more than one item of hazardous chemicals and who carried the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype have a significantly increased UC risk (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.4-9.7). The highest significant increased UC risk (OR = 16.1, 95% CI = 2.9-87.2) was observed among ever smokers with hazardous chemical exposure and the SULT1A1 Arg/Arg genotype.
Conclusions: SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism is associated with the development of UC, especially among cigarette smokers exposed to hazardous chemicals.