Background and purpose: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is well-recognized complication of cancer; however its pathogenesis is not entirely established. Protein Z (PZ) is a member of the coagulation cascade. We aimed to investigate whether intron F G79A polymorphism of PZ gene is associated with risk of VTE in cancer patients.
Materials and methods: The study consisted of 55 cancer patients who developed thrombosis (group 1) and 115 cancer patients without VTE (group 2). Intron F G79A of PZ gene, factor V Leiden (FVL) and prothrombin (PT) G20210A polymorphisms were determined by the method of polymerase chain reaction-based DNA analysis.
Results: The prevalence of FVL was significantly greater in group 1 compared with group 2 (27.3% vs. 3.5%, P < 0.0001). No differences were seen in genotype and allele frequencies of PZ gene between two groups (P > 0.05). When the analysis was also made after excluding FVL positive patients, the same insignificant result was found.
Conclusion: Intron F G79A polymorphism of PZ gene does not contribute to meaningful diagnostic investigation of thrombophilia in cancer patients.