Association of Resistin Gene Polymorphisms with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression and Development

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for over 90% of malignant neoplasms of the mouth. In Taiwan, OSCC is the fourth most common male cancer and the fourth leading cause of male cancer death. Resistin (<i>RETN</i>) is an adipokine that is associated with obesity, inflammation, and various cancers. Here, we examine the association between four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the <i>RETN</i> gene (rs3745367, rs7408174, rs1862513, and rs3219175) and OSCC susceptibility as well as clinical outcomes in 935 patients with OSCC and in 1200 cancer-free healthy controls. We found that, in 1465 smokers, <i>RETN</i> polymorphisms carriers with the betel-nut chewing habit had a 6.708-10.882-fold greater risk of having OSCC compared to <i>RETN</i> wild-type carriers without the betel-nut chewing habit. Patients with OSCC who had A/A homozygous of <i>RETN</i> rs3219175 polymorphism showed a high risk for an advanced tumor size (> T2), compared to those patients with G/G homozygotes. In addition, A/T/G/G haplotype significantly increased the risks for OSCC by 1.376-fold. This study is the first to examine the risk factors associated with <i>RETN</i> SNPs in OSCC progression and development in Taiwan.