The A allele of TERT rs13167280 improves HCC progression and prognosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Abstract

Abstract Purpos To study the effect of telomere reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene polymorphism on the progression of HCC. Methods Using several databases to analyze the correlation between TERT and clinicopathology in HCC patients, and to evaluate its prognostic significance and its correlation with immune infiltration. A cohort of 141 patients with HCC, 153 patients with cirrhosis, and 180 healthy controls was included. Gene polymorphism detection and correlation analysis were performed for TERT rs13167280. Results The expression of TERT was elevated in HCC, positively correlated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and indicated a poor prognosis. There was no difference in smoking, drinking, and heart disease history among the three groups. The biochemical indexes of the liver cirrhosis group and HCC group were significantly different from those of the control group. The proportions of the history of diabetes and hypertension in the HCC group were higher than those in the cirrhosis group. In addition, the HCC group had higher age, lower PT, and higher rGT, PTA, and AFP compared with the cirrhosis group (P < 0.001). The three groups of genotype distributions conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Individuals with the GA+AA genotype had a 4.797-fold increased risk of HCC compared with GG or GA. The risk of HCC in cirrhotic patients with A allele and AA genotype was 0.601 and 0.567, respectively. Conclusion TERT suggests a poor prognosis for HCC, and the A allele of TERT rs13167280 can improve the progression of HCC in patients with chronic HBV infection.