Increased gastric cancer risk with PTEN IVS4 polymorphism in a Turkish population

We aimed to investigate the association of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) IVS4 polymorphism with a gastric cancer (GC) risk in the Turkish population. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in 93 patients with GC, and 113 healthy controls. The PTEN IVS4 (rs no: 3830675) polymorphism was determined by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The PTEN IVS4 (-/-) genotype exhibited a significantly elevated risk for GC compared to controls (p0.05). In conclusion, the PTEN IVS4 polymorphism might contribute to the development of GC in a Turkish population. Further studies, including comparison of the PTEN IVS4 polymorphism with plasma and tissue expressions of PTEN in larger study size groups will provide a further assessment of the PTEN IVS4 polymorphism in GC patients.