Aims: In light to association of increased platelet glycoprotein Ia (GPIa) expression with tumor invasion and metastasis in several types of cancer, we investigated the possible contribution of a common polymorphism (C807/T807), affecting the GPIa gene expression, in the development of oral cancer.
Methods: DNA samples of 110 patients with oral cancer and 114 healthy controls were examined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction followed by electrophoretic analysis.
Results: The mutant T807 allele homozygotes were significantly increased in the group of patients compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, significantly increased frequency of mutant alleles compared to controls was observed in the subgroup of patients with a positive history for cancer (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: The obtained results indicate that the C807/T807 polymorphism is indeed a genetic predisposing factor which contributes to increased risk for oral cancer.