Digit ratio (2D:4D) is associated with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sex steroid exposure during early human development may influence disease susceptibility. Digit ratio (2D:4D) is a putative marker for prenatal hormone exposure and sensitivity, as well as the action of genes closely related to carcinogenesis. Digit ratio could act as a possible marker for cancer predisposition. AIMS: The aim of this study is to investigate the possible correlations between right hand, left hand and right minus left (R-L) 2D:4D and gastric cancer (GCA) in men and women and assess the correlations with tumor staging and histological diagnosis. METHODS: Digital images of the right and left hand palms of patients diagnosed with GCA (n=57, 42 males, 15 females) and age and sex-matched controls (n=59, 41 males, 18 females) were obtained. Means for 2D:4D were compared. Data were analyzed by repeated-measures one-way ANOVA and Student's t-test for finger measurements and group comparisons and Pearson's and Spearman's tests for correlations with tumor staging (α=0.05). RESULTS: GCA group presented significantly higher left 2D:4D, but significantly lower R-L in comparison to healthy controls, particularly so for males. Digit ratio did not correlate to clinical staging or TNM staging. However, low R-L was significantly related to adenocarcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: Early developmental conditions, including prenatal testosterone seem to play a role on the malignant transformation of gastric lesions. The 2D:4D pattern found for gastric cancer parallels that earlier described for breast cancer. The findings suggest that 2D:4D could add to the list of etiological factors and be a putative marker for the screening of patients' susceptibility to develop gastric cancer.

Right hand digit ratio (2D:4D) is associated with oral cancer.

UNLABELLED: Finger length ratio has been proposed as a putative marker for prenatal hormone exposure, as well as the action of HOX, AR, and a variant of the LIN28b genes. These genes have been recently connected to carcinogenesis and digit ratio could help to identify patients with this predisposition. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible correlations between digit ratio, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)-the most common oral cancer-and oral premalignant lesions (OPLs) in tobacco-consuming males, the main risk group for this disease. METHODS: Digital images of the right hands of patients diagnosed with OSCC (n = 25), OPLs (n = 25), and age-matched controls (n = 25) were obtained. Fingers were measured using Adobe Photoshop and the mean ratios between the 2nd and 4th digits were compared. Data were analyzed by ANOVA (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Risk factors (alcohol and tobacco consumption, familial history) were similar between the three study groups. Males in the OSCC group presented significantly higher digit ratio (P = 0.03) in comparison with males with OPLs and individuals without oral lesions. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, males with the higher digit ratio seem to be more prone to undergo malignization of lesions in the oral cavity. Similar deleterious habits for the three groups allows us to infer that digit ratio could add to the research of etiological factors and be a putative marker for the screening of patients' susceptibility to develop oral squamous cell carcinoma.