A 3′ UTR SNP in COL18A1 Is Associated with Susceptibility to HBV Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chinese: Three Independent Case-Control Studies

Background Accumulated evidences indicate that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in angiogenesis and tumorigenesis related genes are associated with risk of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). COL18A1 encodes the precursor of endostatin, which is a broad-spectrum angiogenesis inhibitor, and we speculate that SNPs in COL18A1 may be associated with susceptibility to HCC.