In Korean women carrying the 655Ile/1170Pro
haplotype (the most common combination in that population),
the likelihood of HER2 overexpression was
1.5e1.8 times higher than it was in the rest of the patients
[35]. Our analysis in a population composed of almost
only Caucasian individuals seems to be in accordance
with these observations, showing that carriers of the Pro
allele of the Ala1170Pro SNP have w1.7 times greater
likelihood of having a HER2-positive tumour. Haplotype
analysis showed that the two SNPs are not likely to
be in linkage disequilibrium, consistent with previous
studies [35,36]. Also, genotypes were well balanced for
stage at date of consent and hormone receptor status of
patients, suggesting that the potential effect of the SNPs
on HER2 expression was not confounded by these two
fundamental clinical/biological factors.