Palpitations in Women With Breast Cancer Are Associated With Polymorphisms for Neurotransmitter Genes.

This article investigates the association between palpitations reported by women prior to breast cancer surgery and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in neurotransmitter genes. In a sample of 398 women scheduled for unilateral breast cancer surgery, nine SNPs and two haplotypes across 11 candidate genes related to serotonergic, catecholaminergic, GABAergic, dopaminergic, and other neurotransmission pathways were significantly associated with the occurrence of palpitations. Key genes included HTR1A and TPH2 (serotonergic), SLC6A2, SLC6A3, COMT, and GCH1 (catecholaminergic), ABCB1 (drug metabolism), and SLC6A1, TAC1, TACR1, and NPY (various neurotransmission aspects). These findings suggest that alterations in multiple neurotransmitter systems may contribute to palpitations in women with breast cancer, highlighting the complexity of underlying mechanisms and the need for further research to confirm these associations and explore potential clinical implications.