Personalized and Precision Medicine Journal
Where Innovations Meets Personalized and Precision Medicine

Genetic Basis of Thyroid Cancer: The Role of MMP2 and MMP9 Polymorphisms

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Leila Kohan 1
Elahe Kohan 2
Yasaman Taabodi 3

1 Department of Biology, Arsanjan branch, Islamic Azad University, Arsanjan, Iran

2 Otolaryngology Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

3 Department of Biology, Ars.C., Islamic Azad University, Arsanjan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/pmj.2025.2066218.1064
Abstract
Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a critical role in tumor invasion and metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). This study investigates the association of MMP2 (rs7201) and MMP9 (rs17576) polymorphisms with PTC risk and clinical characteristics, aiming to inform personalized medicine approaches.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted with 210 PTC patients and 210 controls. Genotype frequencies were analyzed using Chi-Square tests, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Associations with clinical characteristics (T Status, N Status, Stage) were assessed in PTC patients.
Results: The MMP2 rs7201 CC genotype was significantly associated with increased PTC risk (OR = 3.524, 95% CI = 1.809–6.867, p = 0.001) and advanced T Status (T3: 48.6%, p = 0.029), but not with N Status (p = 0.509) or Stage (p = 0.461). The C allele was more frequent in cases (44%) than controls (32%) (OR = 1.590, p = 0.001). Conversely, MMP9 rs17576 showed no association with PTC risk (GG: OR = 0.727, p = 0.277) or clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). Both polymorphisms were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in controls.
Conclusion: The MMP2 rs7201 CC genotype and C allele are associated with increased PTC risk and tumor progression, highlighting their potential as biomarkers for personalized risk stratification. These findings support genotype-based screening to identify high-risk PTC patients, enabling tailored surveillance and therapeutic strategies. Further studies are needed to validate these associations and explore their utility in precision medicine.

Keywords

Papillary thyroid carcinoma
MMP2
MMP9
polymorphism
personalized medicine

Subjects

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Personalized and Precision Medicine Journal
Volume 10, Issue 38 - Serial Number 38
Original article
Summer 2025
Pages 59-66

  • Receive Date 17 May 2025
  • Revise Date 08 July 2025
  • Accept Date 28 August 2025

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