Glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms and survival from head and neck cancer

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Abstract
Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic ability of polymorphisms of three genes involved in the metabolism of tobacco carcinogens (GSTT1, GSTM1, GSTP1) and one polymorphism of a DNA repair gene (XRCC1) for patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate risk of death for a prospective cohort of 190 patients. Results. Individuals with the GSTT1 functional genotype were twice as likely to die from any cause (hazard ratio [HR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13–4.97) and were three times as likely to die from SCC (HR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.33–8.41) after adjustment for age, primary therapy, and stage of disease. The XRCC1 399 Gln genotype was predictive of disease recurrence. Conclusions. Our findings, from one of the first studies to examine this research question, suggest that genomic markers of carcinogen metabolism and DNA repair capability may serve as prognostic indicators of disease recurrence and death. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck27: 232–242, 2005