Association of Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 Variants with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Susceptibility in a South Indian Population.

Background: Oral cancers account for approximately 2% of all cancers diagnosed each year; however, the vast majority (80%) of the affected individuals are smokers whose risk of developing a lesion is five to nine times greater than that of non-smokers. Tobacco smoke contains numerous carcinogens that cause DNA damage, including oxidative lesions that are removed effectively by the base-excision repair (BER) pathway, in which poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1), plays key roles. Genetic variations in the genes encoding DNA repair enzymes may alter their functions. Several studies reported mixed effects on the association between PARP-1 variants and the risk of cancer development. Till now no reported studies have investigated the association between PARP-1 variants and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) risk in an Indian population.

Materials And Methods: In the present case control study 100 OSCC patients and 100 matched controls were genotyped using PARP1 single nucleotide peptides (SNP's) rs1136410 and rs3219090 using TaqMan assays.

Results: The results indicated significantly higher risk with PARP1 rs1136410 minor allele "C" (OR=1.909; p=0.02942; CI, 1.060- 3.439). SNP rs1136410 also showed significantly increased risk in patients with smoking habit at C/C genotype and at minor allele C.

Conclusions: The PAPR-1 Ala762Val polymorphism may play a role in progression of OSCC. Larger studies with a greater number of samples are needed to verify these findings.