Glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms associated with risk of breast cancer in southern Taiwan.

In this study, the genetic polymorphisms associated with breast cancer in southern Taiwan were investigated. Two categories of genes were analyzed: (1) BRCA1, BRCA2, and Rad51, the DNA repair factors involved in homologous recombinational repair; and (2) CYP1A1, COMT, GST, and NAT2, the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes (XME) involved in estrogen metabolism. We found that the number of deletions and/or mutations in the GST genes was highly correlated with the occurrence of breast cancer. These data suggest that the GST enzymes, which detoxify the catechol estrogen quinones, are important target molecules for screening in populations at high risk of breast cancer.