Linkage between prostate cancer incidence and different alleles of the human Y-linked tetranucleotide polymorphism DYS19.

We studied the allele frequency distribution of the Y-chromosome linked tetranucleotide polymorphic microsatellite locus DYS19 in 90 prostate cancer Japanese patients from both Tokushima University hospital (Tokushima) and Saint Marianna University hospital (Kawasaki), Japan, comparing them to 99 matched male controls. Y-chromosomes from Japan as well as others from different geographical regions worldwide showed the five different alleles (A-E) with sizes varying from 186-202 bp, respectively. Comparison between DYS19 allelic frequency distribution among Japanese patients with prostate cancer and that of normal controls revealed significant differences regarding susceptibility or resistance to prostate cancer. We found that males with allele C of DYS19 are more susceptible to develop prostate cancer than males with other alleles (p = 0.02). The Odds Ratio was 2.04 with a 95% confidence interval (0.75-2.42), compared with males having other alleles. In contrast, males with the D allele of DYS19 were less exposed to prostate cancer than other males (p = 0.002); the Odds Ratio was 0.26 with a 95% confidence interval of (0.65-3.71). These findings support our hypothesis that male descendants from different Y-chromosomal origins are different regarding their susceptibility or resistance to develop prostate cancer (as a male-specific cancer).