Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the u-PA gene are related to susceptibility to oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in the Northern Chinese Han population.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether susceptibility to oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is related to polymorphisms in the u-PA gene. We examined the rs2227564 C/T and rs2227562 G/A single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 196 OSCC patients and 201 age- and gender- matched controls via direct sequencing and PCR-RFLP methods. Significant differences were found in allelic and genotypic distributions of the rs2227564 and rs2227562 loci when comparing cases and controls. In addition, logistic analyses indicated that the rs2227564 C/T genotype was related to a 1.52-fold increased risk of developing OSCC (adjusted OR=1.521, 95%CI: 1.144~2.022, P=0.004). Linkage disequilibrium analysis was conducted and no association between the two loci was found (D'=0.031, r2=0.000). Our findings provide evidence that the rs2227564 C/T SNP in the u-PA gene is associated with the development of OSCC.