Epidermal Growth Factor +61 G/A Polymorphism and the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Chinese Population

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BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in China. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an important role in tumorigenesis. The association between EGF +61 G/A polymorphism and the risk of HCC is still controversial and ambiguous. AIM: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between EGF +61 G/A polymorphism and the risk of HCC in a Chinese population. METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study was designed in a Chinese population. EGF +61 G/A polymorphisms were determined in 120 chronic HBV-infected HCC patients, 120 chronic HBV-infected cirrhotic patients, and 120 healthy controls. The genotype frequency of this polymorphism was determined by using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. RESULTS: EGF +61 GG (odds ratio=2.76, 95% confidence interval=1.03, 7.38; p=0.04) and G allele frequencies (odds ratio=1.59, 95% confidence interval=1.08, 2.34; p=0.02) in the HCC group were higher than those in the cirrhosis group. EGF +61 A and G allele frequencies in healthy subjects were 28.8% and 71.2%. No relationship between EGF +61 G/A gene polymorphism and HCC risk was found among our recruited HCC patients and healthy controls. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that EGF +61 GG genotype is associated with a higher risk of chronic HBV-infected HCC in the Chinese population.