RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The association between TP53/TP73 gene polymorphisms and tobacco smoking was evaluated with regard to risk of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A case-control study with 192 histologically confirmed NSCLC cases and 241 non-cancer controls was conducted. Subjects were genotyped for TP53 Arg72Pro and TP73 G4C14 to A4T14 polymorphisms by PCR-based methods. Risk and interactions were assessed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The analyses according to TP53 genotypes for the risk of tobacco smoking illustrated that risk with heavy smoking was much higher for subjects with the TP53 ProPro genotype (OR: 16.4, 95% CI 1.77-151.7) as compared with those with TP53 ArgArg/ArgPro (3.36, 1.69-6.68). Similar analyses for TP73 genotypes did not show any differences for NSCLC risk. CONCLUSION: A risk relation of heavy smoking for the NSCLC is suggested with the TP53 but not the TP73 polymorphism.