Genotype Frequencies of Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) Rare Polymorphisms for Japanese with and without Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) is an inducible enzyme synthesizing prostaglandins from arachidonic acid, which isthought to play an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Since the COX2 polymorphisms, if functional, maymodify the carcinogenesis pathway, the associations between the reported polymorphisms and colorectal cancer riskwere examined in a hospital-based case-control study. Six polymorphisms of the gene encoding COX2 were genotypedfor 241 non-cancer individuals (controls) and 148 colorectal cancer patients (74 colon cancer, 73 rectal cancer, and 1colorectal cancer date, 22 polymorphisms including the above six have been reported for COX2. The otherpolymorphisms remain to be examined.