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Association Study of the G-Protein β3 Subunit C825T Polymorphism with Disease Progression an Overall Survival in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, ² Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, ³ Department of Radiotherapy at the West German Cancer Center Essen, ⁴ Institute of Pharmacogenetics, ⁵ Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, and ⁶ West-German Cancer Center Essen, Essen, Germany

Requests for reprints: Goetz Lehnerdt, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstraβe 55, 45122 Essen. Phone: 49-201-723-2481; Fax: 49-201-723-5903. E-mail: goetz.lehnerdt{at}uni-due.de

The T-allele of a common C825T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the gene GNB3, encoding the G3 subunit of heterotrimeric G-proteins, is associated with a truncated form of the G3 protein that imparts a greater signaling capacity than the alternative C-allele encoding a nontruncated protein. We analyzed the C825T-allele status with regard to disease progression in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The prognostic value of the SNP was evaluated in an unselected series of 341 patients treated with curative intent for HNSCC including all tumor stages with different therapeutic regimens. Genotype analysis was done by Pyrosequencing using DNA from paraffin-embedded tissue samples. Genotypes were correlated with relapse-free and overall survival. Proportions of 5-year relapse-free intervals were 62% for CC, 60% for TC, and 42% for TT genotypes. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed a significant genotype-dependent relapse-free interval (P = 0.036). In multivariate analysis with stage, localization, grade, gender, and smoking habits as covariates, GNB3 825T homozygous patients displayed a higher risk for relapse than C825 homozygous patients (TT versus CC, hazard ratio; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-4.8; P = 0.002). The same genotype effect was found for overall survival, TT genotypes were at higher risk for death compared with CC genotypes (hazard ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-4.3; P < 0.001), and 5-year survival proportions were 60% for CC, 52% for TC, and 33% for TT. The GNB3 C825T SNP thus represents a host derived prognostic marker in HNSCC, which allows identifying high-risk patients, which could benefit from novel and/or more aggressive therapeutic regimes. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(11):3203–7)