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Digit ratio (2D:4D) in Chinese women with breast cancer
Author(s) -
Hong Lu,
ZhanBing Ma,
ZhiYun Shi,
XiaoXia Song,
JunLi Zhao,
ZhengHao Huo
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.22546
Subject(s) - digit ratio , breast cancer , medicine , in utero , cancer , numerical digit , oncology , sex ratio , right breast , gynecology , pregnancy , testosterone (patch) , population , biology , fetus , genetics , arithmetic , mathematics , environmental health
Objectives Digit ratio, especially second‐to‐fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is established in utero and is positively correlated with oestrogen in men and women. It is a putative biomarker for prenatal hormone exposure and may represent an individual predisposition to certain diseases (e.g., breast cancer). The aim of the present study is to investigate whether there is a link between digit ratio (2D:4D) and breast cancer in Chinese populations. Methods The controls we chose were healthy subjects‐age and ‐sex matched to the patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Photocopies of the two hands of 218 women (controls: 109; patients: 109) were collected. Left hand, right hand, mean hand, and right minus left 2D:4D (D r−l ) were analyzed. Results The patients with breast cancer presented significantly higher 2D:4D than controls (left: P < 0.01; right: P < 0.05; mean: P < 0.05). The mean values of 2D:4D on the left hand were significantly higher than those on the right hand in the two groups, respectively (controls: P < 0.05; patients: P ≤ 0.01). In patients, there was a significantly negative correlation between 2D:4D (left hand: P < 0.01; right hand, mean: P < 0.05) and the presented age with breast cancer, but no association between D r−l and age of presented disease. Conclusions Digit ratio (2D:4D) may correlate with the increased risk of breast cancer. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:562–564, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.