Estrogen receptor-beta genetic variations and overall survival in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer

Estrogen has been shown not only to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer but also gastric cancer (GC). Polymorphisms in estrogen receptor β gene, ESR2, correlate with colorectal cancer survival. To better understand the role of ESR2 in GC, genomic DNA extracted from 169 Japanese patients and 172 patients from Los Angeles County (LAC) was analyzed for association of overall survival (OS) with three ESR2 polymorphisms, which are of biological significance using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression. ESR2 rs1271572 (C>A) and rs3020443 (T>G) had univariate and multivariable associations with OS in the Japanese cohort, whereas the C allele of ESR2 rs2978381 (T>C) predicted favorable OS in the Japanese cohort but worse OS in the LAC cohort. The interaction term of the ESR2 rs2978381 and cohort group reached statistical significance. Our study provides evidence that genetic variations in ESR2 gene are significantly associated with survival in patients with locally advanced GC