DNA repair plays a crucial role in protecting the genome from cancer-causing agents. Therefore, a reduced DNA repair capacity can increase the susceptibility to cancer. The human OGG1 (hOGG1) gene encod es DNA glycosylase/apurinic lyase and excise 8-hydroxyguanine, one of the major premutagenic DNA lesions, which is produced by oxygen radical forming agents including smoking. Recently several polymorphisms in the hOGG1 gene were identified, and it is possible that these polymorphisms may affect the DNA repair capacity and thus modulate cancer susceptibility. The relationship between the codon 326 polymorphism (Ser to Cys) in the hOGG1 gene and lung cancer risk was investigated.

The Ser326Cys genotypes were determined using PCR-RFLP analysis in 299 primary lung cancer patients and 186 healthy controls who were frequency (case:control=3:2) matched according to age and sex.

The frequencies of the Ser326Cys genotypes (Ser/Ser, Ser/Cys and Cys/Cys) among cases (23.4%, 51.8%, and 24.7%, respectively) were not significantly different from those among the controls (22.6%, 52.1% and 25.3%, respectively). When the analyses were stratified according to age, sex, smoking status and pack-years of smoking, no significant association between this polymorphism and lung cancer risk was found. Moreover, the Ser326Cys genotype showed no apparent relationship with any of the histological types of lung cancer.

These result suggest that the hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism is not a major contributor to individual lung cancer susceptibility in Koreans.