Abstract
Background. Genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes involved in the detoxification pathways of carcinogenic substances may influence cancer risk. Methods. Case-control study that investigates the relationship between CYP1A1 Ile/Val, exon 4 mEH, and GSTM1 null genetic polymorphism and the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer examining the interaction between these genes, tobacco, and alcohol. 92 incident cases and 130 consecutive hospital-based controls have been included. Results. No significant associations were found for any of the genotypes assessed. The estimated risk was slightly elevated in subjects with the wild type of the mEH gene and the null GSTM1 genotype. For exon 4 mEH heterozygous polymorphism, the risk was slightly lower for heavy smokers than for light smokers. The inverse association was observed for the GSTM1 null genotype. Conclusions. The results suggest that exon 4 mEH and GSTM1 null polymorphisms might influence oral and pharyngeal cancer.
Highlights
Oral and pharyngeal cancers represent an important problem worldwide
In the present case-control study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the CYP1A1 Ile/ Val, exon 4 mEH (139 Arg → His), and GSTM1 null genetic polymorphism and the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancers, investigating the association with smoking, drinking, and the gene-gene interactions
The 57.6% of the tumors were located in the oral cavity and 96.7% were squamous cell carcinomas
Summary
Oral and pharyngeal cancers represent an important problem worldwide. The incidence and prevalence rates for these tumors are double in men than in women. Tobacco and alcohol are the main risk factors for oral and pharyngeal cancers. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with oral and pharyngeal cancers, causing in some cases risks higher than those found for smokers [8,9,10]. Case-control study that investigates the relationship between CYP1A1 Ile/Val, exon 4 mEH, and GSTM1 null genetic polymorphism and the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer examining the interaction between these genes, tobacco, and alcohol. The estimated risk was slightly elevated in subjects with the wild type of the mEH gene and the null GSTM1 genotype. The results suggest that exon 4 mEH and GSTM1 null polymorphisms might influence oral and pharyngeal cancer
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