Cancer Genetics Report Association of the TP53 Codon 72 Polymorphism with Colorectal Cancer in a Chinese Population

R72P), has been associated with the susceptibility to various cancers. To better understand the role of this polymorphism in colorectal cancer etiology, we examined the association between TP53 R72P and colorectal cancer risk in 345 patients with colorectal cancer and 670 controls in a Chinese population. We observed that subjects with RP and PP genotypes had a 1.60-fold and a 2.37-fold increased risk for colorectal cancer, respectively. The 72P allele conferred a more pronounced increase in colorectal cancer risk among alcohol consu-mers (heterozygotes: OR 3.01; homozygotes: OR 4.71). The TP53 R72P polymorphism was not linked to tumor location, histologic grade, lymph node metastases, Dukes stage, p53 positivity, or age at diagnosis, but to tumor size. We conclude that the TP53 R72P poly-morphism may contribute to the etiology of colorectal cancer in the Chinese population, particularly among alcohol consumers. Key words: TP53 – colorectal cancer – single nucleotide polymorphis