Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a
malignancy of liver and a leading cause of
cancer mortality worldwide. Its management is compounded by biological and clinical heterogeneity. These interindividual genetic variations can modulate the effects of HCC treatment. High-mobility group box
protein 1 (
HMGB1) is a well investigated, ubiquitous
nuclear protein found in eukaryotic cells that plays a multiple biological roles such as
DNA stability, program cell death, immune response, and furthermore in
cancer progression. In this report, we examined
HMGB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with multiple risk factors related to HCC susceptibility and clinicopathological characteristics. Four
HMGB1 SNPs (rs1412125, rs2249825, rs1045411, and rs1360485) were assessed by using a TaqMan SNPs Genotyping in 324 patients with HCC and in 695
cancer-free controls. The results showed that
HMGB1 SNP rs1045411 with CT or at least one T alleles has lower risk of HCC than wild-type (CC) carriers. Moreover,
HMGB1 SNP rs1412125 with TT allele has a higher risk of distant
metastasis compared with patients carrying at least one C allele. The present study is the first report to discuss the risk factors associated with
HMGB1 SNPs in HCC progression in Taiwan.