No association between epidermal growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptor polymorphisms and nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Numerous candidate genes have been proposed as susceptibility factors for the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) interaction plays a pivotal role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumourigenesis of epithelial tissues. To our knowledge, however, no study has examined the relationship between the EGF/EGFR and NPC. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms of EGF +61 G/A and EGFR +2073 A/T and NPC. A total of 173 patients with NPC and 206 age- and sex-matched controls were the participants. Genotypes were determined using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism strategy and DNA sequencing. There were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of EGF +61 G/A and EGFR +2073 A/T polymorphisms between the group of patients with NPC and the control group in a Chinese population (for EGF +61 G/A: OR=1.29, 95% CI: 0.95-1.74; for EGFR +2073 A/T: OR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.67-1.23). Further studies are still needed to explore the complicated interaction between environmental factors and EGF +61 G/A and EGFR +2073 A/T polymorphisms in the risk of NPC, particularly in ethnically different populations.