hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism modifies the significance of the environmental risk factor for colon cancer

To determine the association of hOGG1 (8-oxoguanine glycosylase I, OGG1) polymorphism of Ser326Cys substitution with colon cancer risk and possible interaction with known environmental risk factors. A case-control study with 125 colon cancer cases and 247 controls was conducted. There was no major difference in Ser326Cys genotype distribution between cases and controls. The meat intake tended to increase the odds ratio for colon cancer with an OR of 1.72 (95 % confidence interval; CI=1.12-2.76). Such tendency was more prominent in Cys/Cys carriers (OR=4.31, 95 % CI=1.64-11.48), but meat intake was not a significant risk factor for colon cancer in Ser/Ser or Ser/Cys carriers. The OR for colon cancer was elevated with marginal significance in smokers who were Cys/Cys carriers (OR=2.75, 95 % CI=1.07-7.53) but not in Ser/Ser or Ser/Cys carriers. These results suggest that the hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism is probably not a major contributor to individual colon cancer susceptibility overall, but the Cys/Cys genotype may alter the impact of some environmental factors on colon cancer development.