© 2000 by Oxford University Press
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 92, No. 24, 2023-2028,
December 20, 2000
© 2000 Oxford University Press
REPORT |
Androgen-Receptor Gene CAG Repeats, Plasma Testosterone Levels, and Risk of Hepatitis B-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Affiliations of authors: M.-W. Yu, S.-W. Cheng, S.-Y. Yang, H.-C. Chang, C.-J. Chen (Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health), P.-J. Chen, C.-J Liu (Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine), National Taiwan University, Taipei; M.-W. Lin, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Medical Research and Education, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei; Y.-F. Liaw, S.-M. Lin, Liver Research Unit, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang-Gung University, Taipei; T.-J. Hsiao, Department of Internal Medicine, Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Department of Health, The Executive Yuan, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan; S.-D. Lee, Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital and School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei.
Correspondence to: Ming-Whei Yu, Ph.D., Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Pub-lic Health, National Taiwan University, No. 1 Jen-Ai Rd., Sec. 1, Rm. 1550, Taipei 100, Taiwan (e-mail: mingwhei{at}ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw).
Background: Worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is more prevalent in men than in women, suggesting that sex hormones and/or X-chromosome-linked genes may be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. We investigated the association of a trinucleotide (CAG) repeat in the androgen receptor (AR) gene (located on the X chromosome) termed "AR-CAG repeats," levels of plasma testosterone, and the risk of HCC in Taiwanese men. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which is associated with risk of HCC, is hyperendemic in Taiwan. Methods: We compared the number of AR-CAG repeats in 285 HBV carriers with HCC and in 349 HBV carriers without HCC. We also conducted a nested case–control study on participants in a cohort study. Blood was collected prospectively from 110 case patients and 239 control subjects and was used to determine the number of AR-CAG repeats and plasma testosterone level. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: The overall odds ratio (OR) for HCC was 1.72 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–2.89) for HBV carriers with 20 or fewer AR-CAG repeats compared with those with more than 24 repeats. This association was observed only in patients with late-onset HCC (OR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.28–4.38). In the nested case–control study, HBV carriers in the highest tertile of testosterone levels had a statistically significantly increased risk of HCC (OR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.14–3.70) compared with those in the lowest tertile. Elevated testosterone was more strongly associated with early-onset (OR = 4.67; 95% CI = 1.41–15.38) than late-onset disease. HBV carriers with 20 or fewer AR-CAG repeats and higher testosterone levels had a fourfold increase in HCC risk compared with those with more than 24 repeats and testosterone levels in the lowest tertile. Conclusions: Higher levels of androgen signaling, reflected by higher testosterone levels and 20 or fewer AR-CAG repeats, may be associated with an increased risk of HBV-related HCC in men.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C.-M. Chiu, S.-H. Yeh, P.-J. Chen, T.-J. Kuo, C.-J. Chang, P.-J. Chen, W.-J. Yang, and D.-S. Chen Inaugural Article: Hepatitis B virus X protein enhances androgen receptor-responsive gene expression depending on androgen level PNAS, February 20, 2007; 104(8): 2571 - 2578. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. Zhang and P. K. H. Chow The Effect of Megestrol Acetate on Growth of HepG2 Cells In vitro and In vivo Clin. Cancer Res., August 1, 2004; 10(15): 5226 - 5232. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S.-H. Yeh, C.-F. Chang, W.-Y. Shau, Y.-W. Chen, H.-C. Hsu, P.-H. Lee, D.-S. Chen, and P.-J. Chen Dominance of Functional Androgen Receptor Allele with Longer CAG Repeat in Hepatitis B Virus-related Female Hepatocarcinogenesis Cancer Res., August 1, 2002; 62(15): 4346 - 4351. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. A. Nelson and J. S. Witte Androgen Receptor CAG Repeats and Prostate Cancer Am. J. Epidemiol., May 15, 2002; 155(10): 883 - 890. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. A. Evans, G. Chen, E. A. Ross, F.-M. Shen, W.-Y. Lin, and W. T. London Eight-Year Follow-Up of the 90,000-Person Haimen City Cohort: I. Hepatocellular Carcinoma Mortality, Risk Factors, and Gender Differences Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., April 1, 2002; 11(4): 369 - 376. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M.-W. Yu, Y.-C. Yang, S.-Y. Yang, S.-W. Cheng, Y.-F. Liaw, S.-M. Lin, and C.-J. Chen Hormonal Markers and Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk: a Nested Case-Control Study Among Men J Natl Cancer Inst, November 7, 2001; 93(21): 1644 - 1651. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|