Association of the CYP17 gene polymorphism with risk for uterine leiomyoma in Brazilian women.

Background: Uterine leiomyoma is the most common pelvic tumor in women of reproductive age. It is well established that endogenous sex hormones are involved in disease pathogenesis, and polymorphisms in genes encoding enzymes which act in the metabolism of steroid hormones, such as that for cytochrome P450c17alpha enzyme (CYP17), may therefore play a role in fibroid genesis. Variations in this gene have been thought to influence the susceptibility to hormone-related diseases.