Clinical Impact of the AKT1 rs1130233 SNP in Japanese GastrointestinalCancer Patients with Palliative Care

Objective: Cancer patients often suffer from chronic inflammation, anorexia and the resultant decrease of nutrient intake, followed by weight loss and muscle wasting called “sarcopenia”. Such conditions are known as “cachexia”. In this study, we examined the associations between genetic polymorphisms of AKT1 rs1130233, ICAM1 rs281432, SELP rs6128 and TNSRSF1A rs4149570, which are reportedly associated with cachexia in Caucasians, together with LIF rs929271, in Japanese gastrointestinal cancer patients with palliative care. Methods: The study subjects were 59 patients (37 males and 22 females) with gastrointestinal cancers who visited the outpatient clinic at Iga General Hospital from December 2011 till August 2015. Genotypings for AKT1 rs1130233, ICAM1 rs281432, SELP rs6128, TNSRSF1A rs4149570 and LIF rs929271 were conducted with polymerase chain reaction with confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP) or the Taqman SNP Genotyping assay. Associations of these SNPs with patients’ prognosis as well as weight loss defined as weight loss more than 5 percent during 6 months after the initiation of chemotherapy were evaluated. Results: A significant increase in the risk of 5% weight loss was observed in those with A/G genotype AKT1 rs1130233 polymorphism (AKT1 A/G vs. G/G, adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=7.11; 95%CI: 1.41-35.7), or in those with at least one A allele of AKT1 rs1130233 (AKT1 A/G+A/A vs. G/G, aOR=4.57; 95% CI: 1.14-18.3) when adjusted for age, sex and UICC clinical stage 4. There was no statistically significant correlation of the polymorphisms examined with patients’ survival. Conclusion: The present study revealed that AKT1 rs1130233 A allele may play a key role in the development of cancer cachexia. Given the involvement of AKT1 in the development of cancer as well as in apoptosis, it would be worth studying the roles of this molecule in human cancers further from clinical, epidemiological and biological viewpoints in the near future.