DNA Repair Gene XRCC1 Polymorphisms and Outcome of Renal Cell Carcinoma in Caucasian Patients

Background: The human X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) enzyme plays an important role in response to DNA damage. Two common polymorphisms in XRCC1, Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln, have been repeatedly associated with risk for and outcome of numerous types of cancer treated with radio- and chemotherapy. Recently, a Japanese study suggested these polymorphisms both as risk factors and outcome predictors in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Patients and Methods: In the present study, 142 Caucasian patients suffering from RCC were genotyped and analyzed for tumor-related and overall survival and time to metastasis and progression. Results: Analyses revealed absence of the pre-described risk haplotype (194Trp/399Gln) as well as a lack of a statistically significant difference between the different endpoints and genotypes and diplotypes, respectively. Conclusion: We conclude that in Caucasian patients, XRCC1 polymorphisms do not influence the outcome of RCC.