Title | Sequence variation in proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 serine protease gene, low LDL cholesterol, and cancer incidence. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2007 |
Authors | Folsom AR, Peacock JM, Boerwinkle E |
Journal | Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev |
Volume | 16 |
Issue | 11 |
Pagination | 2455-8 |
Date Published | 2007 Nov |
ISSN | 1055-9965 |
Keywords | Black People, Cholesterol, LDL, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Incidence, Male, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Proprotein Convertase 9, Proprotein Convertases, Prospective Studies, Serine Endopeptidases, United States, White People |
Abstract | Some prospective epidemiologic studies have suggested that a low plasma cholesterol level may be associated with increased risk of cancer. Certain sequence variants in the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 serine protease gene (PCSK9) are associated with lifelong low total and LDL cholesterol. We therefore analyzed the association of PCSK9 variation with incidence of cancer between 1987 and 2000 in a prospective study (n=13,250). The frequency of the PCSK9 variants studied was 2.4% in blacks and 3.2% in whites. Neither was associated with increased cancer incidence: age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios were 0.66 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.31-1.39] in blacks and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.54-1.09) in whites. Low baseline total or LDL cholesterol levels in 1987 to 1989 were also not statistically significantly associated with incident cancer: multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for the lowest compared with the highest quartiles of LDL cholesterol were 1.05 (95% CI, 0.78-1.40) in blacks and 1.16 (95% CI, 0.99-1.36) in whites. These data suggest that a lifelong low cholesterol concentration, as reflected by these PCSK9 variants, does not increase risk of cancer. |
DOI | 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-07-0502 |
Alternate Journal | Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev |
PubMed ID | 18006936 |
Grant List | N01-HC-55022 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55016 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55021 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R03-CA65473 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55019 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55015 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55020 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55018 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States |