Polymorphisms of COMT Val158Met and the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development among Egyptian HCV Infected Patients

Chronic viral hepatitis is the most important risk factor for progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays a central role in DNA repair and estrogen-induced carcinogenesis. Many recent epidemiologic studies have investigated the association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and cancer risk.
In the current study, we investigated the association between COMT Val158Met A/G variations and the risk of HCC development among Egyptian HCV infected patients. This study was conducted on two groups; HCC patients group and healthy control group each included 100 subjects. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been studied for COMT using real-time PCR.
Our results suggest that COMT is not associated with HCC risk among HCV infected patients. A significant increase was detected regarding the different COMT SNPs in the aged category more than 50 years compared to younger patients. No significant difference was detected on the level of gender, liver cirrhosis, biochemical and hematological parameters.
In conclusion, COMT Val158Met polymor­phism could not be considered as a risk factor for HCC risk among hepatitis C virus patients in Egypt.