title: Significance of vitamin d receptor gene polymorphisms for risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Biological and epidemiological data suggest that vitamin D levels may influence cancer development. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms have been described in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene in association with cancer risk. We aimed to investigate the association of VDR gene polymorphisms with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in chronic hepatitis C patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional, hospital-based setting, 340 patients (201 chronic hepatitis, 47 cirrhosis and 92 HCC) and 100 healthy controls receiving VDR genotyping (bat-haplotype: BsmI rs1544410 C, ApaI rs7975232 C and TaqI rs731236 A) were enrolled.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with HCC had a higher frequency of ApaI CC genotype (P = 0.027) and bAt[CCA]-haplotype (P = 0.037) as compared to control subjects. There were no differences in BsmI and TaqI polymorphisms between two groups. In patients with chronic hepatitis C, HCC subjects had a higher frequency of ApaI CC genotype and bAt[CCA]-haplotype than those with chronic hepatitis (P = 0.001 and 0.002, respectively) and cirrhosis (P = 0.019 and 0.026, respectively). After adjusting age and sex, logistic regression analysis showed that ApaI CC genotype (odds ratio: 3.02, 95% confident interval: 1.65-5.51) was independently associated with HCC development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VDR ApaI polymorphism plays a role in the development of HCC among chronic hepatitis C patients. Further explorations of this finding and its implications are required.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: chh4366@yahoo.com.tw.
authors.forename: Chao-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsung-Hui
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Sheng-Nan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jing-Houng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chuan-Mo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lee