COX-2 polymorphisms -765G→C and -1195A→G and hepatocellular carcinoma risk.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and considered to play a role in hepatic carcinogenesis. Our aim was to examine the associations between polymorphisms in COX-2 -765G→C and -1195A→G and risk of HCC. We conducted a case-control study including 120 patients with HCC and 130 age- and gender-matched controls. Genotypes of the COX-2 polymorphisms -765G→C and -1195A→G were determined by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism. No significant difference was observed in the genotype distribution of the -765G→C polymorphism between patients and controls. The -1195AA genotype was associated with an increased risk of developing HCC (OR, 2.5; 95%CI, 1.18-5.37). The A allele was present significantly more often in HCC patients (OR 1.5; 95%CI, 1.05-2.14). In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the -1195AA genotype and A allele have an important role in HCC risk in Egyptian patients.