Association between recipient C7 gene polymorphisms and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence following liver transplantation

Objective To investigate the association between donor and recipient C7 gene polymorphisms and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence and prognosis following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Methods A total of 76 HCC patients undergoing OLT in Shanghai First People′s Hospital from July 2007 to August 2012 were included in this study. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), C7 rs3792642 was genotyped and analyzed together with clinical data in donors and recipients. Results Recipient rs3792642 polymorphism was significantly associated with HCC recurrence following OLT. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, micro-vascular invasion (P=0.015), recipient C7 rs3792642 genotype (CC vs. CT/TT P=0.032) and out of Milan criteria (P=0.013) were identified as independent risk factors of HCC recurrence. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in the recipient CT/TT group than in the CC group (P=0.008 and P=0.011, respectively). Cox proportional hazards modeling revealed that TNM stage, recipient C7 rs3792642 genotype, and micro-vascular invasion were independent factors (P<0.05) for patients clinical outcomes. Conclusion Recipient C7 rs3792642 polymorphism is associated with the risk of HCC recurrence following OLT and has a potential clinical value predicting the prognosis of HCC patients treated with OLT. Key words: Liver transplantation; Polymorphism, single nucleotide; Carcinoma, hepatocellular; Recurrence