Genetic polymorphisms of C-reactive protein increase susceptibility to HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma in a Guangxi male population

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker of inflammation and the production has been shown to be influenced by genetic variation in CRP gene. HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a typical inflammation-related disease occurs mainly in men. The present study was designed to investigate the association between CRP polymorphisms and HBV-related HCC risk in a Chinese male population. The CRP rs2794521 and rs3093059 SNPs were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR-RFLP) in 158 HBV patients with HCC, 207 HBV patients without HCC, and 150 unrelated healthy controls. A significant increased HCC risk in HBV patients were observed for the rs3093059 SNP comparing with those without HCC (C allele vs. T allele: adjusted OR=1.56, 95% CI, 1.07-2.29, P=0.021; TC vs. TT: adjusted OR=1.77, 95% CI, 1.13-2.76, P=0.012; TC/CC vs. TT: adjusted OR=1.76, 95% CI, 1.14-2.71, P=0.011). However, we did not observe any significant association of rs3093059 polymorphism with HCC when compared with healthy controls. With respect to rs2794521 polymorphism, no significant associations of this polymorphism with HCC risk were found in this population. In haplotype analysis between HBV patients with HCC and HBV patients without HCC, the TC haplotype was found correlated with a significant increased HCC risk (OR=1.803, 95% CI, 1.237-2.335, P<0.001). We concluded that the CRP rs3093059 polymorphism may play a significant role in the development of HBV-related HCC in the Guangxi male population.