MDM2 and CDKN1A gene polymorphisms and risk of Kaposi's sarcoma in African and Caucasian patients.

A single-nucleotide polymorphism in the MDM2 promoter (SNP309; rs2279744) causes elevated transcription of this major negative regulator of p53 in several cancer types. We investigated MDM2 SNP309 and CDKN1A (p21/Waf1/Cip1) codon 31 (rs1801270) polymorphisms in 86 cases of cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) from African and Caucasian patients, and 210 healthy controls. A significant increase of the MDM2 SNP309 T/G genotype was observed among classic KS cases (odds ratio 2.