Association of platelet glycoprotein Ia polymorphism with minor increase of risk for oral cancer

Aims In light to association of increased platelet glycoprotein Ia (GPIa) expression with tumor invasion and metastasis in several types of cancer, we investigated the possible contribution of a common polymorphism (C807/T807), affecting the GPIa gene expression, in the development of oral cancer. Methods DNA samples of 110 patients with oral cancer and 114 healthy controls were examined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction followed by electrophoretic analysis. Results The mutant T807 allele homozygotes were significantly increased in the group of patients compared to the control group (P<0.001). Furthermore, significantly increased frequency of mutant alleles compared to controls was observed in the subgroup of patients with a positive history for cancer (P<0.01). Conclusions The obtained results indicate that the C807/T807 polymorphism is indeed a genetic predisposing factor which contributes to increased risk for oral cancer.