Background: This study examined the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms and survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy in Taiwan.
Methods: We genotyped MTHFR polymorphisms C677T (rs1801133) and A1298C (rs1801131) for 498 CRC patients treated with 5-FU-based chemotherapy after receiving surgery. Survival analyses on MTHFR polymorphisms were performed using log-rank test and Kaplan-Meier curve. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between MTHFR genotypes and survival.
Results: Overall survival (OS) was significantly longer in CRC patients with MTHFR 677 CT+TT genotypes compared with those with 677 CC genotype (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.60-0.98). Although the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism was not associated with OS in CRC, this polymorphism was associated with significantly shorter OS in rectal cancer. Among rectal cancer patients, OS was shorter for patients with AC+CC genotypes than for those with the AA genotype (HR 1.95; 95% CI 1.35-2.83). In haplotype analysis, better OS was found for colon cancer patients carrying the MTHFR 677T-1298A haplotype (HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.55-0.97), but worse survival was linked to rectal cancer patients carrying the MTHFR 677C-1298C haplotype (HR 1.53; 95% CI 1.08-2.18).
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that MTHFR genotypes provide prognostic information for CRC patients treated with 5-FU-based chemotherapy.
Keywords: 5-Fluorouracil; Colorectal cancer; MTHFR; Overall survival; Polymorphisms.