Polymorphisms of Glutathione S-transferase in Skin Cancers in a Japanese Population

Variations in the Glutathione S-transferase (GST) supergene family have been reported to influence cancer susceptibility in Caucasian. However the genetic backgrounds and skin types are quite different between Caucasian and non-Caucasian. We therefore investigated the distribution of GST gene polymorphism in non-Caucasian population to ascertain the role of this polymorphism in skin carcinogenesis. One-hundred and fifteen patients with skin cancers and 92 controls who visited Kobe University Hospital between April 2004 and November 2010 were enrolled in this study. Genotype of GST gene was determined by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragments length polymorphism analysis. The frequencies of GSTM1 positive genotype were significantly higher in squamous cell carcinomas than those in controls (adjusted odds ratio = 3.09, 95% confidence interval 1.04 - 9.21). The polymorphism of GSTM1 locus could be an important factor in susceptibility to squamous cell carcinoma among Japanese population.