Cytokines and Tumor Metastasis Gene Variants in Oral Cancer and Precancer in Puerto Rico

Objectives: A cross-sectional epidemiological study explored genetic susceptibility to oral precancer and cancer in Puerto Rico (PR). Materials and Methods: Three hundred three individuals with a benign oral condition, oral precancer (oral epithelial hyperplasia/hyperkeratosis, oral epithelial dysplasia), or oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) were identified via PR pathology laboratories. A standardized, structured questionnaire obtained information on epidemiological variables; buccal cells were collected for genetic analysis. Genotyping was performed using TaqmanH assays. Allelic frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated in cytokine genes and genes influencing tumor metastasis. Risk estimates for a diagnosis of oral precancer or SCCA while having a variant allele were generated using logistic regression. Adjusted models controlled for age, gender, ancestry, education, smoking and alcohol consumption. Results: Relative to persons with a benign oral lesion, individuals with homozygous recessive allelic variants of tumo