Association of MTHFR 677C/T gene polymorphism with therapeutic effect of pemetrexed in advanced lung adenocarcinoma

Objective To investigate the association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR) gene polymorphism with the therapeutic effect of pemetrexed in advanced lung adenocarcinoma.Methods Thirty-nine patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma were enrolled in this study and treated with pemetrexed plus cisplatin.Thirty-seven finished the treatment and were followed up.MTHFR 677C/T gene polymorphism was determined in blood samples from the patients by quantitative real-time PCR using Taqman MGB probes.The relationship between gene polymorphism,response rate and progression-free survival was analyzed.Results The percentages of CC,CT and TT genotypes in MTHFR(rs1801133) were 40.5%,43.2% and 16.2%.The response rates of patients with genotype CC,CT and TT were not statistically different(26.7% vs 31.3% vs 50.0%,P=0.582).No significant difference in progression-free survival was observed between patients with genotype CC and CT or TT(4.7 m vs 6.9 m,P=0.499).Conclusion There is no association between MTHFR 677C/T gene polymorphism and response in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma receiving pemetrexed/cisplatin chemotherapy.