Gastric cancer (GC) is the third most lethal type of cancer worldwide. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in regulatory sites or coding regions can modify the expression of genes involved in gastric carcinogenesis, as ERBB2, which encodes for the tyrosine-kinase receptor HER-2.

The aim of this work was to analyze the association of the polymorphisms:

rs2643194, rs2517951, rs2643195, rs2934971, and rs1058808 with GC, as they have not yet been analyzed in GC patients, as well as to report their frequency in the general Mexican population (GMP). We studied genomic DNA from subjects with GC (n=74), gastric inflammatory diseases (GID, n=76 control subjects), and GMP (n=102). Genotypes were obtained by means of real-time PCR and DNA-sequencing. The risks for GC were estimated through odds ratio (OR) using the Cochran-Armitage trend test and multinomial logistic regression. Increased risk for GC was observed under the dominant inheritance model for the rs2643194 TT or CT genotypes with an OR of 2.75 (95%CI 1.12−6.75, P=0.023); the rs2934971 TT or GT genotypes with an OR of 2.41 (95%CI 1.01−5.76, P=0.043), and the rs1058808 GG or CG genotypes with an OR of 2.21 (95%CI 1.00−4.87, P=0.046). The SNPs rs2643194, rs2934971, and rs1058808 of the ERBB2 gene were associated with increased risk for GC.