• Peng Qi, Hao Wang, Yue-Ming Chen, Xiao-Juan Sun, Yan Liu, and Chun-Fang Gao.
• Department of Laboratory Medicine, Eastern Hepatobiliary Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai. PR China.
• Pathology. 2009 Jan 1; 41 (6): 555-60.

ObjectiveEpidermal growth factor (EGF) has many biological functions, including mitogenesis, tumorigenesis, and proliferation of epidermal tissues. Previous studies have reported that the EGF +61 (A/G) single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'-untranslated region of the EGF gene is functional, and is associated with development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in liver cirrhosis and various malignancy. Our aim was to investigate whether EGF gene A61G polymorphism could be implicated in susceptibility to and/or clinicopathological characteristics of HCC in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.MethodsThis polymorphism was studied in 387 patients with chronic HBV infection and in 208 healthy volunteers using restriction fragment-length polymorphism. The patients were divided into two groups: those without (n = 172) and those with HCC (n = 215). These 215 HCC patients with chronic HBV infection were designated as cases, and the remaining 172 patients without HCC served as controls.ResultsThere were no significant differences in EGF genotype or allelic frequencies between cases and controls nor was EGF genotype or allelic frequencies associated with tumour number, size, growth phase, stage, and invasiveness. We also found ethnic heterogeneity in the functional EGF polymorphism.ConclusionsThe present results show that although EGF gene A61G polymorphism is associated with development of HCC in liver cirrhosis, it is not sufficient for HCC in Chinese patients with chronic HBV infection.

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