Background and objective: Data on the Val762Ala (rs1136410) polymorphism in the poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) gene as a risk factor for various types of cancers in different ethnicities are inconsistent. We studied this association in a Caucasian population.
Methods: Using high-resolution melting curve analysis (HRM), we studied the distribution of the PARP-1 Val762Ala polymorphism in patients with cervical cancer (n = 446) and in controls (n = 491).
Results: Logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, tobacco smoking, and menopausal status demonstrated that the PARP-1 Val762Ala polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for patients with the Ala/Val genotype versus the Val/Val genotype was 1.381 (95 % CI = 1.025-1.859, p = 0.033), and the adjusted OR for the Ala/Ala or Ala/Val genotype versus the Val/Val genotype was 1.403 (95 % CI = 1.057-1.863, p = 0.019). The p value from the chi-square test of the trend observed for the PARP-1 Val762Ala polymorphism was statistically significant (p trend = 0.0123). Stratified analyses of the PARP-1 Val762Ala genotype distribution and cervical cancer risk showed that the age-adjusted OR of Ala/Ala or Ala/Val vs Val/Val for pregnancy was 1.388 (95 % CI = 1.027-1.877, p = 0.0328), 1.773 (95 % CI = 1.145-2.745, p = 0.0100) for contraceptive use, and 1.604 (95 % CI = 1.132-2.272, p = 0.0077) for postmenopausal women. The age-adjusted OR of Ala/Val vs Val/Val for contraceptive use was 1.769 (95 % CI = 1.114-2.809, p = 0.0154) and for postmenopausal women was 1.577 (95 % CI = 1.094-2.272, p = 0.0143).
Conclusion: Our studies suggest that the PARP-1 Val762Ala polymorphism may be a genetic risk factor for cervical cancer.