• P A Thompson, P G Shields, J L Freudenheim, A Stone, J E Vena, J R Marshall, S Graham, R Laughlin, T Nemoto, F F Kadlubar, and C B Ambrosone.
• Division of Molecular Epidemiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, Arkansas 72205, USA.
• Cancer Res. 1998 May 15; 58 (10): 2107-10.

AbstractPolymorphic catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes the O-methylation of estrogen catechols. In a case-control study, we evaluated the association of the low-activity allele (COMT(Met)) with breast cancer risk. Compared to women with COMT(Val/Val), COMT(Met/Met) was associated with an increased risk among premenopausal women [odds ratio (OR), 2.1; confidence interval (CI), 1.4-4.3] but was inversely associated with postmenopausal risk (OR, 0.4; CI, 0.2-0.7). The association of risk with at least one low-activity COMT(Met) allele was strongest among the heaviest premenopausal women (OR, 5.7; CI, 1.1-30.1) and among the leanest postmenopausal women (OR, 0.3; CI, 0.1-0.7), suggesting that COMT, mediated by body mass index, may be playing differential roles in human breast carcinogenesis, dependent upon menopausal status.

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