Gly82Ser polymorphism of the receptor for advanced glycation end products is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer in a Chinese population.

PURPOSE It has been shown that the expression of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is closely associated with invasion and metastasis in gastric cancer. A Gly82Ser polymorphism in exon 3 of RAGE gene was identified and thought to have an effect on the functions of its protein. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to investigate whether the polymorphism is involved in the development or progression of gastric cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In the hospital-based case-control study, the RAGE genotypes were determined using PCR-RFLP in 566 individuals (283 gastric cancer patients and 283 age- and sex-matched controls). RESULTS The distribution of genotype was significantly different between cases and controls (P = 0.038). Compared with the wild-type 82Gly/Gly carriers, subjects with the variant genotypes (82Gly/Ser and 82Ser/Ser) had a significantly higher risk of gastric cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-2.06). Moreover, the elevated gastric cancer risk was especially evident in younger individuals (ages < or =58 years), nonsmokers, and rural subjects. Further analyses revealed that the variant genotypes were associated with adjacent organ invasion in the subanalysis of gastric cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the RAGE Gly82Ser polymorphism may confer not only an increased risk of gastric cancer but also with invasion of gastric cancer in the Chinese population.