The impact of long non-coding RNA <i>HOTTIP</i> genetic variants on oral cancer progression and clinicopathological characteristics

Oral cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Recent studies suggest that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) HOXA transcript at the distal Tip (HOTTIP) may influence oral cancer cell growth and invasion, but comprehensive genetic association studies evaluating the impact of <i>HOTTIP</i> single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on oral cancer susceptibility, and clinicopathological features are lacking. In this study, we investigated the associations between SNPs in the <i>HOTTIP</i> gene and both oral cancer susceptibility and clinicopathological characteristics. A total of 1,192 controls and 1,205 oral cancer patients were genotyped for four <i>HOTTIP</i> SNPs-rs3807598, rs17501292, rs2067087, and rs1859168-using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Our results showed that among oral cancer patients aged 60 years or older, those carrying the <i>HOTTIP</i> rs3807598 "GC+CC" genotype had a significantly reduced risk of developing advanced clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. Additionally, carriers of the rs2067087 "CG+GG" polymorphic variants were associated with a lower risk of developing advanced clinical stages. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the <i>HOTTIP</i> rs3807598 and rs2067087 polymorphisms may serve as pivotal predictor for assessing oral cancer progression.