Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In China in 2009, esophageal cancer was the fifth most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the fourth leading cause of malignancy-related death. Accumulating evidence indicates that genetic factors might play an important role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) carcinogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, we recruited 629 ESCC patients and 686 controls. Genetic variations in the S100A14, MLH1, SMAD7 and CCL22/MDC genes were measured using the ligation detection reaction method. RESULTS: When the S100A14 rs11548103 GG genotype was considered as the reference group, the GA genotype associated with decreased risk of ESCC (GA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.57-0.93, p = 0.009). In the dominant model, GA/AA variants were associated with a significantly decreased risk of ESCC compared with the GG genotype (GA/AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.61-0.95, p = 0.018). Logistic regression analyses showed that the MLH1 rs1800734 C>T, SMAD7 rs12953717 C>T and CCL22/MDC rs4359426C>A polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of ESCC in any of the models tested. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that, in a Chinese population, rs11548103 might contribute to a decreased risk of ESCC. Further studies are need to confirm these data with results from a lager cohort and different ethnic origins.