COMT Val158Met Polymorphism is Not Assiociated with Risk of Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer: a Pooled Analysis

Ovarian cancer is associated with the highest mortality rate among gynaecological malignancies (Hennessy et al., 2009). There are over 205, 000 new cases and 125, 000 deaths annually from ovarian cancer (Jemal et al., 2011). Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women and the most common gynecological cancer in the USA (Jemal et al., 2009). Multiple lines of evidence support a central role of hormones in the etiology of endometrial and ovarian cancers (Lundin et al., 2012). Polymorphisms within genes responsible for estrogen catabolism could alter cellular levels of genotoxic 4-hydroxylated catechol estrogens and antiangiogenic 2-methoxyestradiol, thus influencing risk of developing endometrial and ovarian cancers. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes catechol estrogens to form methyl conjugates, a process that detoxifies the catechol estrogens and prevent them from forming depurinating adducts. In addition, the intermediate products of catechol estrogen metabolism,