Objective Cancer of the oral cavity is the most commonly seen malignancy in Taiwan, and its rising incidence poses a formidable challenge to oncologists. The CYP17 gene encodes P450c17alpha, an enzyme involved in the metabolism of steroid hormones. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is one of the cytokines produced by macrophages, and its function has been postulated to play a role in cancer formation. We investigated whether polymorphisms of CYP17 and TNF-α genes are associated with oral cancer.
