Association of the XPD and XRCC3 gene polymorphisms with oral squamous cell carcinoma in a Northeastern Brazilian population: A pilot study

• Gln variant of XPD showed a possible protective role against OSCC development.
• Gln allelic variant of XPD was associated with high-grade OSCC lesions and with III and IV clinical stages.
• XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism may be a facilitator of the development of OSCC.
• Met variant of XRCC3 was associated with metastases occurrence and III and IV clinical stages of OSCC.

Objectiveto evaluate the association between XPD and XRCC3 polymorphisms and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Designthe sample consisted of 54 cases of OSCC and 40 cases of inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia (IFH). Genotypes were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.ResultsXPD-Lys/Gln was more common in IFH (n = 28; 70%) than in OSCC (n = 24; 44.4%) (OR: 0.3; p < 0.05). XPD-Gln was more frequent in high-grade lesions (0.48) than in low-grade lesions (0.21) (OR: 3.4; p < 0.05). The Gln/Gln genotype was associated with III and IV clinical stages (OR: 0.07; p < 0.05). XRCC3-Met was more frequent in OSCC (0.49) than in IFH (0.35) (OR: 2.6; p < 0.05). The Met/Met genotype was associated with the presence of metastases (OR: 8.1; p < 0.05) and with III and IV clinical stages (OR: 0.07; p < 0.05).Conclusionsin this sample, the frequency of XPD-Gln in IFH suggests that this variant may protect against OSCC. The presence of the XRCC3-Met allele seems to contribute to the development of OSCC, metastases and more advanced stages in these lesions.