Abstract
Objective: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Several genetic polymorphisms have been shown to increase the risk of HNSCC. In this study we investigated how these genetic variations affect survival of HNSCC patients.
Method: DNA from blood lymphocytes of 180 HNSCC patients were analyzed for polymorphisms of DNA repair and carcinogen-metabolizing genes. The association between polymorphisms with time to recurrence and survival were analyzed.
Results: There was no association between the variants analyzed and time to disease recurrence. However, increased survival that approached statistical significance was observed in patients with XPC LL genotype. They had a longer survival compared with patients with XPC LS and XPC SS genotypes (mean survival LL = 283 months, LS = 60 months, SS = 72 months; log rank P = .06), especially in men (P = .047).
Conclusion: The genetic variant XPC LL of the DNA repair gene XPC is associated with increased survival of HNSCC in those patients managed with treatment modalities that target DNA (ie, cisplatin and radiation). Larger and more comprehensive studies are needed to validate these findings.
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