Risk of prostate cancer in relation to polymorphisms of metabolic genes

The study of associations between genetic polymorphisms of metabolic enzymes and prostate cancer risk can provide insight into the potential etiologic role of xenobiotics in prostate cancer development. To date there is little evidence that the incidence of prostate cancer is influenced by any of the genetic polymorphisms described above. However, the number of subjects studied generally has been small, so it would be premature to conclude that the substances metabolized by enzymes encoded by these candidate genes are not of carcinogenic importance, or to conclude that the polymorphisms of these genes do not play a role in prostate cancer susceptibility. Larger-scale studies of these and other genes, such as genes that repair cellular damage and regulate cell growth, are needed. Since gene-gene and gene-environment interactions may contribute to cancer risk, it would be desirable to conduct studies in which both biomarkers (or other measures) of exposure and polymorphisms of multiple genes are examined.