p53 codon 72 polymorphism in Taiwanese lung cancer patients: Association with lung cancer susceptibility and prognosis

An association between the BstUI (Pro/Pro) genotype of the p53 codon 72 pol ymorphism and lung cancer has been reported previously (X. Jin et al,, Carc inogenesis (Lond,), 16: 2205-2208, 1995), However, the genotype distributio n of p53 codon 72 polymorphism as well as the association of this polymorph ism with lung cancer risk and prognosis remain undefined in the Taiwanese p opulation. Therefore, me investigated the genotype distribution of p53 codo n 72 polymorphism in 194 lung cancer patients and 152 noncancer controls. T he genotype frequencies in Taiwanese noncancer controls were 0.56 (Arg) and 0.44 (Pro), chi(2) analysis indicated significant differences in genotype distribution of p53 from other reports in Swedish (P < 0.001), Spanish (P < 0.001), Caucasians in the United States (P = 0.002), and African-Americans (P = 0.027), In addition, our data suggest that the Pro allele of the p53 codon 72 polymorphism increased the risk of lung cancer among female Taiwan ese. The female patients with genotype Pro/Pro showed a significantly incre ased odds ratio (3.14; confidence interval, 1.48-6.64; P = 0.003) of having lung adenocarcinoma, compared with normal controls with the other genotype s, Patients with the Pro/Pro genotype had an odds ratio of 2.63 (confidence interval, 1.22-5.68; P = 0.01) higher than those with the other genotypes to be diagnosed with lung cancer at the early ages, We further investigated the association of p53 codon 72 polymorphism with prognosis in 133 lung ca ncer patients. Patients with the Pro/Pro genotype tended to have poorer pro gnosis than those with the Arg/Pro genotype (P 0.05, by the log-rank test). Our data suggested that p53 codon 72 polymorphism may play a role in cance r susceptibility and prognosis in specific classes of lung cancer patients in Taiwan.