Association of XRCC1 Gene Polymorphism with an Increased Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Peshawar Population

Hassen, Rashid Saeed Abdo; Babaresh, Wahby Mohammed; Rehman, Irshad Ur; Talal, Zaid; Nayyar, Maria; Rettas, Yazid; Shakeel, Syeda Javeria; Huriya, Sawaira; Begum, Aiman; Khan, Oyoon

doi:10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.6.2109

Association of XRCC1 Gene Polymorphism with an Increased Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Peshawar Population

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

¹ Center of Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan.

² Department of Medical Laboratories, Hodiedah University, Hodiedah, Yemen.

³ Department of Pharmacy, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan.

⁴ Department of Pharmacy, Aden University, Aden, Yemen.

10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.6.2109

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between variations in the XRCC1 gene and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in individuals from Peshawar with chronic hepatitis C infection. Methods: The study included three groups of participants: 30 individuals with HCC resulting from chronic HCV infection, 30 participants with HCV-related cirrhosis, and 30 healthy controls. Detailed clinical and laboratory data were collected for all participants. The ARMS-PCR (Amplification Refractory Mutation System-Polymerase Chain Reaction) method was utilized to identify a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the XRCC1 gene. Result: The analysis revealed that HCC patients had a significantly higher occurrence of XRCC1 (AA and GA) genotypes and an increased frequency of the A allele compared to both cirrhotic HCV patients and healthy controls. Additionally, individuals with the XRCC1 (AA and GA) genotypes demonstrated greater tumor foci and larger tumor sizes. Multivariate analysis revealed that the XRCC1 rs25487 polymorphism independently contributes to a higher likelihood of developing HCC in patients with chronic HCV, with a 2.66-fold. Conclusion: The polymorphism of the XRCC1 gene is probably linked with an elevated risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in individuals with chronic HCV infection. These findings underscore the importance of genetic factors in assessing HCC risk.

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