Homo sapiens Targeted Locus (Loci)

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third most frequent cause of cancer related mortality worldwide, More than 90% of HCC cases arise in the context of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, and this cancer is increasingly becoming a health problem. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) also identifying the UGT1 and UGT2 genes as novel cancer susceptibility loci involved in tumor development; Polymorphisms in the UGT genes may alter enzyme activity and subsequently may play a role in HCC. UGT polymorphisms that reduce the capacity to glucuronidate carcinogens and other types of cancer-promoting molecules (e.g. sex hormones) are associated with an increased risk of developing cancers.