RECK gene polymorphisms in hepatocellular carcinoma: association with susceptibility and clinicopathologic features in Egyptian patients

Background The RECK (reversion-inducing cysteine rich protein with Kazal motifs) gene was initially isolated as a transformation suppressor gene. RECK down-regulation has been confirmed in numerous human cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of RECK single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility and clinicopathologic characteristics in Egyptian patients. Methodology A total of 50 HCC cancer patients and 30 cancer-free controls were analyzed for RECK rs16932912 and rs11788747 genotyping using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. Results RECK rs11788747 mutant genotypes AG/GG showed a 2.779 fold (95% CI: 1.091–7.080) higher risk of HCC compared to wild genotype (p=0.030) with a higher risk of lymph node metastasis (p = 0.034) and significantly higher levels of ALT, AST, and ALP (p=0.011, 0.001 and 0.003), respectively. RECK rs16932912 gene showed no statistical significance. Conclusions This study revealed the role of RECK rs11788747 polymorphism on HCC susceptibility and prognosis in Egyptian patients.