Genetic polymorphisms in DNA base excision repair gene XRCC1 and the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

BACKGROUND: The genes of base excision repair (BER) pathway have been extensively studied in the association with various human cancers. We performed a case-control study to test the association between two common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of XRCC1 gene with human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: The genotype analysis of Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln gene polymorphisms for 92 HNSCC patients and 124 controls of cancer free subjects, in Polish population were performed using the PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) with endonuclease MspI. RESULTS: No altered risk has been found individually for these SNPs, however haplotypes analysis showed high association with head and neck cancer. The highest frequency, according to wild-type of Arg194Arg and Arg399Arg genotypes, was identified for Arg194Trp-Arg399Arg haplotype (OR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.01–8.80). CONCLUSION: Finally, we identified the combined Arg194Trp-Arg399Arg genotype of base excision repair gene XRCC1 that was associated with HNSCC and may have an impact on identification of a high-risk cancer population.