Variation in genes regulating angiogenesis, lymph-angiogenesis and metastasis: associations of three polymorphisms with outcome in patients with colorectal cancer

• Main Author: Dan, Lydia Annabel
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2014
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/8183/; https://research.library.mun.ca/8183/1/Dan_LydiaAnnabel_masters.pdf

Biological and clinical findings show that the variation in the angiogenesis, lymph-angiogenesis and metastasis processes may affect patient survival. This study aims to identify new prognostic markers in colorectal cancer by investigating the associations of 381 genetic polymorphisms and haplotypes from 30 angiogenesis, lymph-angiogenesis and metastasis genes in a cohort of colorectal cancer patients from Newfoundland and Labrador. Our results showed that three linked SNPs located in the MMP8 and MMP27 genes were individually associated with overall survival (rs11225388, rs11225389, and rs12365082). By predicting and analyzing the haplotypes from these genes I also found an association between overall survival and an MMP3 haplotype consisting of four polymorphisms. The biological consequences of these three SNPs and the MMP3 haplotype and their relation to the risk of death in colorectal cancer are currently unknown. Future studies are required to replicate these findings in another cohort of colorectal cancer patients.