Polymorphism and Genetic Diversity in Senegalese Patients with Oral Cancers

Cancer is the leading cause of death and a major obstacle to increasing life expectancy worldwide in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. Oral cavity cancers are the most common type of head and neck cancers. This study aimed to determine the polymorphism and genetic diversity of the tumor protein P53 (<I>TP53</I>) in oral cavity cancers in Senegal. From a total of 40 patients with oral cavity cancer, we collected 40 cancerous tissue samples, 20 adjacent healthy tissue samples, and 15 blood samples. Blood samples were collected from participants in the control group. Tissue samples were obtained from each patient during a biopsy after obtaining informed consent. DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and sequencing were performed. MEGA, BioEdit, and DnaSP software were used to analyze polymorphisms and genetic diversity. A total of 36.80%, 22.27%, and 7.74% polymorphic sites were found in cancerous tissues, healthy tissues, and blood samples, respectively. Nine amino acids showed significant differences in distribution between participants in the control group and patients. Significant differences were also observed within and between populations. This study revealed an increasing number of oral cancer cases in Senegal. Moreover, healthy tissues exhibited the same genetic alterations as cancerous tissues.