Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene associated with incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in promoting angiogenesis and is overexpressed in several malignancies. Polymorphisms of the VEGF gene can alter VEGF protein expression, which may be biologically significant and account for heterogeneity in disease risk and outcome. The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate potential associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the VEGF gene with susceptibility of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Patients and methods: Five VEGF SNP (-1154 G/A, +405 G/C, +936 C/T, -2578 C/A and -460 C/T) were determined in peripheral blood isolated from 80 patients with OSCC and from 40 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (RT-PCR). Results: The +936 T allele and the -2578 C/A SNP were expressed significantly more often in the OSCC-group (P = 0.002; P < 0.0001) where three associations between two SNPs (+936 and +405, -2578 and -1154, -460 and -2578) were found. Conclusion: Our findings provide support that +936 T allele and -2578 C/A SNP of the VEGF gene alone or in combination with other SNP are associated with OSCC. The SNPs may be used as biomarker for the development of specialized anti-VEGF drugs. Further studies must confirm the value of preoperative genetic analysis for prognosis.