Analysis of MUC6 Genetic Variants on the Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading malignancy associated with cancer-related deaths worldwide. Many studies have indicated that mucin (MUC) expression plays an important role in cancer metastasis and recurrence. MUC6 expression is observed in gastric and oncocytic phenotypes and may play an important role during cancer progression. We found the level of MUC6 is lower in HCC patients but did not affect the survival of HCC patients. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the combined effect of MUC6 polymorphisms and exposure to environmental carcinogens on the susceptibility to and clinicopathological characteristics of HCC. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MUC6 (rs61869016, rs6597947, and rs7481521) from 1197 healthy controls and 423 HCC patients were analyzed using real-time PCR. After adjusting for other co-variants, we found that carrying a CC genotype at MUC6 rs61869016 had a lower risk of developing HCC than wildtype carriers. Moreover, patients with a smoking habit who carried the C allele of rs61869016 and T allele of rs7481521 had a higher (B or C) Child-Pugh score than other genotypes, suggesting significant functional compromise and decompensated disease. Therefore, our findings suggest that genetic variations in MUC6 may corelate to HCC and indicate progression in HCC patients.