P57 (KIP2) polymorphisms and breast cancer risk

A previous report in this journal has suggested that germline deletions in the proline-alanine-rich (PAPA-repeat) region of P57 (KIP2) are associated with increased risk of a variety of cancers, including breast cancer. We ha ve analyzed the association of P57 PAPA-repeat deletion polymorphisms and b reast cancer risk as part of a population-based case-control study of breas t cancer. We have not observed an association between the presence of one o r two copies of deletion polymorphisms in P57 and breast cancer risk (adjus ted odds ratio: 1.1, 95% confidence interval: 0.6-2.0), Further investigati on is necessary to determine the functional significance of P57 deletion po lymorphisms and their potential relationship with disease.