The Association between Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Gene Polymorphisms and Lung Cancer Risk.

Nabil Bashir,Omar Khabour,Mahmoud Alfaqih,Basheer Khassawneh,Entesar Ragab,Jafar Momani

doi:10.3390/biom8030053

Nabil Bashir, Omar Khabour + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/biom8030053

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Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in cell proliferation and signaling. In this study, we examined the association between EGFR gene polymorphisms and lung cancer risk among the Jordanian population. A total of 129 patients with primary lung cancer and 129 matched healthy controls were recruited into this study. EGFR rs712829, rs712830, rs2072454, and rs11543848 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped to test for their association with lung cancer risk. A significant association was observed between the rs712829 SNP and lung cancer risk (p < 0.05) where the GG + GT genotypes were higher in lung cancer patients when compared to controls. In addition, no association was detected between rs712830, rs2072454, and rs11543848 SNPs and lung cancer risk. When patients were stratified according to the lung cancer type, a significant association was detected between both rs712829 and rs2072454 and adenocarcinoma lung cancer (p < 0.05). Haplotype analysis of all four SNPs showed a significant association between the TCCG haplotype and both lung cancer and the adenocarcinoma subtype (p < 0.001). In conclusion, EGFR rs712829, rs2072454 SNPs, and TCCG haplotypes are associated with a risk of lung cancer among Jordanians. Since genetic associations are affected by the genetic background of populations, more studies in other Arab populations are required to confirm the present findings.

Highlights

With over 1.3 million deaths per year, lung cancer is by far the leading cause of death among men and women worldwide [1]
Histopathological examination showed that 90% of the patients had non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 10% had small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
We examined the association between four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene and lung cancer risk

Summary

Introduction

With over 1.3 million deaths per year, lung cancer is by far the leading cause of death among men and women worldwide [1]. Among the many risk factors known to be associated with increased lung cancer risk, tobacco smoking appears to have the strongest association [3,4]. Recent studies showed that about 10 to 15% of lung cancer cases occur in people who have never smoked, which indicates that factors such as genetic polymorphisms may play a role in determining disease risk [5]. The contribution of hereditary factors in determining disease risk is Biomolecules 2018, 8, 53; doi:10.3390/biom8030053 www.mdpi.com/journal/biomolecules

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