Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi. 2003 Jan; 11(1): 20-2.

[Relationship between genetic polymorphisms of N-acetyltransferase and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma]

Gao JP, Huang YD, Lin JA, Zhu QC, Liang JP.

Department of Detecting Laboratory, Chinese Traditional Medicine Hospital in ZhangZhou, Hujian Province, ZhangZhou 363000, China.

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible relationship between genetic polymorphism of N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Genetic polymorphisms of the four NAT2 genes in 78 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 112 healthy controls were analyzed by means of real-time fluorescence light-Cycler. The difference in frequencies between the hepatocellular carcinoma patients and the controls were compared. RESULTS: The significant difference in slow acetylation genotype frequency was found between the controls and the hepatocellular carcinoma patients who were smokers (17.9% vs 37.5%, x(2)= 4.67, P<0.05) resulting in increased by 2.76 times the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, but no evident difference between the controls and hepatocellular carcinoma patients who were non-smokers. CONCLUSION: The smokers with slow acetylation genotype of N-acetyltransferase 2 may be the population with high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.