ABSTRACT
Genetic polymorphisms of various cytochromes P450 have recently been described and could be implicated in the individual susceptibility of alcoholics to ethanol-related diseases. Rsal and Dral polymorphisms of CYP2E1 and Mspl polymorphism of CYP1A1 were studied in 260 controls and 511 alcoholic patients, without any clinical symptoms (n = 202) or with various ethanol-related diseases (n = 309), such as liver cirrhosis (n = 110), esophageal cancer (n = 62), upper aerodigestive tract cancer (n = 96), and other miscellaneous diseases (n = 41). Frequencies of the mutated alleles were found to be 2.5% (Rsal), 7.9% (Dral), and 8.7% (Mspl) in controls; 4%, 14.1%, and 12% in alcoholics without clinical symptoms; and 3.1%, 12.5%, and 11.2% in alcoholics with ethanol-related diseases. The only significant difference was found in the Dral polymorphism, whose frequency was enhanced in alcoholics with (p < 0.05) or without ethanol-related diseases (p < 0.01) when compared with controls. No differences were found between alcoholics without clinical symptoms and alcoholics with cirrhosis, esophageal cancer, or upper aerodigestive tract cancer. However, in liver cirrhosis and in ethanol-related cancers, the rare Dral-C allele was three times less frequent in patients under the age of 45 than in older patients, suggesting a protective role for this allele. In conclusion, our data indicate that the aforementioned mutations do not play a critical role in the development of cirrhosis, esophageal cancer, or upper aerodigestive tract cancers in Caucasians.