ASSESSMENT OF FGFR2 AND FGFR4 POLYMORPHISMS IN NIGERIAN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) persists as the most frequently occurring cancer in females, with a growing incidence percentage in sub-Saharan Africa. BC has been correlated with FGFR2 and FGFR4 genetic variations in different populations. However, the data on Nigerian women are scarce. This study investigated the association of FGFR2 rs1219648 (A>G), FGFR2 rs2981582 (A>G), and FGFR4 rs351855 (G>A) with BC risk in a Nigerian cohort. A case-control design was employed involving 75 BC cases and 75 controls. Using blood samples, genomic DNA was extracted, and SNP genotyping was conducted with the use of TaqMan® allelic discrimination assay. Genotype and allele frequencies comparison was conducted using chi-square, odds ratios, and Fisher’s exact tests. The FGFR2 rs1219648 G allele was significantly more common (48.0%) in cases than controls (35.3%), with the GG genotype conferring a significant increase in risk (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.07 - 6.64, p = 0.039). FGFR2 rs2981582 showed no significant genotype-level association, but the minor A allele was more common in cases (43.2%) than controls (31.3%) (p = 0.045). FGFR4 rs351855 was not significantly associated with BC. None of the SNPs showed association with tumour immunohistochemical subtypes. The findings identify FGFR2 rs1219648 as a significant risk factor for BC in Nigerian women and highlight the need for larger, multi-centre studies to validate these associations.