A BRCA1 promoter variant (rs11655505) and breast cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: A study of Chinese women recently suggested that the minor allele of rs11655505 in the BRCA1 promoter (c.-2265C-->T) increases promoter activity and has a protective effect on breast cancer risk. METHODS: We genotyped rs11655505 in 2912 female breast cancer cases and 2783 unaffected female controls from four Caucasian breast cancer studies. RESULTS: No evidence for an association between rs11655505 and breast cancer risk was found. CONCLUSIONS: Our study failed to confirm a role of rs11655505 in breast cancer risk. Larger studies are necessary to determine if there is a weak association between this SNP and breast cancer risk.