Objectives

DNA repair genes play an important role in protection against environmental and endogenous DNA damage, and constitute the first line of defense against cancer. Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C ( XPC ) is involved in the damage recognition step during nucleotide excision repair. The relationship between XPC intron11 C/A polymorphism and cancer risk has not been widely studied. Hence, this study evaluated the relationship between the XPC intron11 C/A polymorphism and prostate cancer risk.

Materials and methods

This hospital-based cohort consisted of 152 patients with prostate cancer and 142 male controls. The XPC intron11 C/A genotype was determined using the PCR–RFLP method. Medical, occupational, and cigarette-smoking history was obtained from each participant using questionnaires.

Results

Logistic regression analysis revealed that compared to controls, the frequencies of the A/A and C/A genotypes were significantly higher than those of the C/C genotype in cancer patients (OR = 2.03, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.03–3.98 and OR = 1.91, 95 % CI 1.13–3.24, respectively). We also found that the frequency of the A/A genotype was significantly higher in cancer cases than in controls among non-smokers (OR = 7.7, 95 % CI 1.38–42.88, compared to the C/C genotype).

Conclusion

We found that the XPC intron11 C/A polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Among non-smokers, the A/A genotype was significantly more prevalent in prostate cancer patients than in controls.