A single nucleotide polymorphism in the matrix metalloproteinase-3 promoter enhances breast cancer susceptibility.

Purpose: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are likely to be involved in invasion and metastasis of several tumors by degrading the extracellular matrix. A single adenine insertion/deletion polymorphism (5A/6A) in the MMP-3 promoter region causes the elevation of transcriptional level and local expression of MMP-3. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of this 5A/6A polymorphism on susceptibility and metastasis in breast cancer.