The association between glutathione S-transferase gene polymorphisms and pancreatic cancer in a central European Slavonic population

In the first case-control study on pancreatic cancer conducted on 253 cases and 403 controls in the Czech Republic we observed that the GSTP1-codon 105 Val variant allele and the GSTT1-null genotype were associated with an elevated risk for pancreatic cancer (OR = 1.38; 95%CI = 0.96–1.97 and OR = 1.56; 95%CI = 0.93–2.61, respectively). Combination of GSTT1-null and GSTP1-codon 105 Val variants further increased the risk for pancreatic cancer (OR = 2.50; 95%CI = 1.20–5.20). In conclusion, this study suggests population-specific associations of polymorphisms in key biotransformation genes with elevated risk for pancreatic cancer.