Abstract
The DNA repair gene polymorphisms are supposed to boost the tumorigenesis and prognosis of cancers. The Xray repair complementing defective repair in Chinese hamster cells 3 (XRCC3) gene has a pivotal role in the DNA repair process which if mutated may be entangled in the tumorigenesis. Although there are many studies examining the DNA repair gene polymorphisms in cancers, the association of the XRCC3 SNPs with ovarian cancer in Egypt remains not fully defined. We aimed to examine the impact of the XRCC3 genetic polymorphisms with the ovarian carcinoma development and prognosis. Moreover, to analyze the relation of the SNPs alleles and haplotypes with the different tumor stages and subtypes.
Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 50 histopathologically confirmed ovarian cancer patients and 20 cancer-free control subjects using PCR-RFLP assays.
Results: The mean ages of the subjects were non-significantly differed between the patients and controls with significant increase with advanced tumor stage (F = 5.344, P = .003). The serous carcinoma was the most common type of ovarian tumor among our patients (40%) (X-2 = 9.49, P = .023). A non-significant association was noticed between the studied SNPs (rs 861539 C > T, rs 1799794 G > A) genotypes with the ovarian cancer stages and subtypes. The rs 861539 T carriers had a higher frequency in cancer patients when compared to controls, otherwise, it showed a non-significant correlation with the tumor subtypes. The rs 861539 T/rs 1799794 A haplotype occurred at a higher frequency in ovarian cancer patients more than controls (X-2 = 10.32, P = .016), with non-significant association with tumor subtypes.
Conclusion: DNA repair gene XRCC3 polymorphism rs 861539 T allele and the rs 861539 T/rs 1799794 A haplotype may boost the susceptibility to ovarian carcinoma with no correlation with the tumor histological subtypes and stages. They may be salutary as a DNA-based diagnostic biomarker for identifying the high-risk Egyptian females susceptible to ovarian cancer. More studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms that can contribute to ovarian cancer, assess the cancer prognosis, and help to determine adequate therapy regimen.