Vascular endothelial growth factor 936 C/T polymorphism is associated with vascular invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyze the relation of VEGF 936 C/T polymorphisms in progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and healthy subjects in Taiwan.Study designWe genotyped 218 patients with OSCC, comparing the genotypes and gene frequencies with those of 121 control subjects. VEGF 936 C/T polymorphisms were determined by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism.ResultsThere were no significant differences in genotype, phenotype, or gene frequency between the OSCC and control groups. Among patients with OSCC, there were also no significant differences in the polymorphism between those with and without cervical lymph node metastases or in survival. However, 21 of the 218 patients had vascular invasion by their OSCC, and these patients were significantly more likely to have a C/C (P = .033) or C/T genotype (P = .026) than were those without vascular invasion.ConclusionsThis study suggests that the VEGF 936 C allele is associated with vascular invasion in OSCC.