Comprehensive analysis of hormone and genetic variation in 36 genes related to steroid hormone metabolism in pre- and postmenopausal women from the breast and prostate cancer cohort consortium (BPC3)

International audience; CONTEXT: Sex steroids play a central role in breast cancer development. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to relate polymorphic variants in 36 candidate genes in the sex steroid pathway to serum concentrations of sex steroid hormones and SHBG. DESIGN: Data on 700 genetic polymorphisms were combined with existing hormone assays and data on breast cancer incidence, within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) and the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) cohorts; significant findings were reanalyzed in the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We analyzed data from a pooled sample of 3852 pre- and postmenopausal Caucasian women from EPIC and NHS and 454 postmenopausal women from MEC. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures were SHBG, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS), androstenedione, estrone (E1), and estradiol (E2) as well as breast cancer risk. RESULTS: Globally significant associations were found among pre- and postmenopausal women combined between levels of SHBG and the SHBG gene and between DHEAS and the FSHR and AKR1C3 genes. Among postmenopausal women, serum E1 and E2 were significantly associated with the genes CYP19 and FSHR, and E1 was associated with ESR1. None of the variants related to serum hormone levels showed any significant association with breast cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed associations between serum levels of SHBG and the SHBG gene and of E1 and E2 and the CYP19 and ESR1 genes. Novel associations were observed between FSHR and DHEAS, E1, and E2 and between AKR1C3 and DHEAS.