Mediating effects of smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the relation between the CHRNA5-A3 genetic locus and lung cancer risk.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Recent genome-wide association studies of lung cancer have shown that the CHRNA5-A3 region on chromosome 15q24-25.1 is strongly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and nicotine dependence, and is thought to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well. However, it has not been established whether the association between genetic variants and lung cancer risk is a direct one or one mediated by nicotine dependence.

Methods

The authors applied a rigorous statistical approach, mediation analysis, to examine the mediating effect of smoking behavior and self-reported, physician-diagnosed emphysema (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]) on the relation between the CHRNA5-A3 region genetic variant rs1051730 and the risk of lung canc

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3073819 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature