Brain Tumors Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Tumors, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, screening, treatment.

The 61 A/G EGF polymorphism is functional but is neither a prognostic marker nor a risk factor for glioblastoma.

Vauleon E, Auger N, Benouaich-Amiel A, Laigle-Donadey F, Kaloshi G, Lejeune J, Delattre JY, Thillet J, Sanson M

INSERM, U711, Biologie des Interactions Neurones & Glie, 75651 Paris cedex 13, France.

The A/G61 polymorphism located in the 5'UTR of the EGF gene has been found to be both a risk factor and a prognostic factor in glioblastoma (GBM), but the functional consequences have not been investigated. Here we show, in vitro, that this polymorphism is functional, in that the G allele promoter is 40% more active than the A variant (P < 0.001). However, analysis of a large series of 209 GBM patients and 214 control subjects did not confirm that A/G61 polymorphism is a significant risk factor for GBM, despite a trend for higher GG frequency in these patients. Furthermore, A/G61 polymorphism was not a prognostic factor for survival in GBM patients, although it does appear to affect progression-free survival.

Published 18 December 2006 in Cancer Genet Cytogenet, 172(1): 33-7.
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