Glutathione S-transferase P1 and alpha gene variants; role in susceptibility and tumor size development of oral cancer

Background. The aim of this study was to estimate the relationship of glutathione S-transferases (GST)P1, GSTA1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms to oral cancer risk. Methods. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to measure these 4 gene polymorphisms in 274 controls and 164 oral cancer patients. Results. Individuals with at least 1 varied G allele of GSTP1 had a 1.53-fold risk (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-2.31) of developing oral cancer compared with patients with wild-type A/A homozygotes. Oral cancer patients with at least 1 varied T allele of GSTA1 gene had a 0.42-fold risk (95% CI = 0.18-0.95) of having a tumor size >2 cm compared with patients with C/C homozygotes. Conclusions. The varied G allele of GSTP1 may be considered as a factor contributing to increased susceptibility, whereas the T allele of GSTA1 could be a protective factor for tumor size progression in Taiwanese with oral cancer.