Association of a PARK2 Germline Variant and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer in a Southern Brazilian Population

Abstract

 Ovarian cancer (OC) is the eighth most common cancer among women in Brazil and seventh in the world population. OC has a high mortality rate and is difficult to diagnose. Currently, OC detection most often occurs at an advanced stage of the disease due to its silent progression, which contributes to the high mortality rate. Available genetic markers are not considered specifically enough for an initial and definite diagnosis. The association with new genes involved with OC can provide a better understanding of this pathology as well as contribute to the development of a marker scenario, providing an improvement in the treatment and survival of patients. The aim of this study was to examine the potential association between the PARK2 gene and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Accordingly, we conducted a study for which 25 patients and 87 controls were recruited. Linkage disequilibrium analysis showed that the four studied tag SNPs (rs2803073, rs6930532, rs1040079, and rs2276201) were independent. Our results using the multivariate analysis between the additive and dominant model demonstrated that tag SNP rs2803073 of PARK2 is associated with susceptibility to EOC (p = 0.018, OR = 0.42). These findings suggest that hereditary variation in the PARK2 gene could influence EOC development mechanisms.