ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: ATM is an important protein that protects the genome from double-stranded DNA breaks. Mutations and polymorphisms in the ATM gene have been associated with an increased risk of certain types of malignancies, especially breast cancer. METHODS: We analyzed tissue from 98 white patients with prostate cancer for the presence of IVS62+60G>A polymorphism in the ATM gene. RESULTS: The frequency of the homozygous IVS62+60G/G, heterozygous IVS62+60G/A, and homozygous IVS62+60A/A was 18.37% (18 of 98), 30.61% (30 of 98), and 51.02% (50 of 98), respectively. Using Fisher's exact test, we found the polymorphism IVS62+60G>A was not significantly related to age, tumor grade, prostate-specific antigen level, or clinical stage (P >0.05). No difference was found in relapse-free survival between patients with IVS62+60G/G and those with IVS62+60G/A or IVS62+60A/A (P = 0.4533). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study indicate that this ATM polymorphism is not associated with the aggressiveness of prostate cancer in white men.