(0739) The Influence of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Within DRD2, ANKK1, and nACh Receptors on Smoking Behaviors

Introduction: Understanding tobacco dependence is foundational to the prevention of head and neck cancer. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms have an association with smoking in large population studies. We selected the best-studied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cigarette smoking to assess a population of adult cancer patients with a very high smoking prevalence.

Methods: The somatic, whole genome data from the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN), was analyzed in 948 cancer patients from the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (MCC) for SNPs as follows: DRD2 (rs1076560 and rs6277), CHRNA5 (rs16969968), CHRNA3 (rs1051730), and ANKK1 (rs1800497). The Genome Aggregation Database (GnomAD) was used as a comparative normal population. We compared the SNP prevalence in the MCC population with the GnomAD population. Prospectively collected smoking behavior data was retrieved via the Markey CARES Tobacco Treatment Program for each subject. Subjects were grouped by smoking behavior (current smoker willing to quit, current smoker unwilling to quit, former smoker, and nonsmoker) and analyzed for the prevalence of smoking-associated SNPs.

Results: MCC population had a greater frequency of SNPs rs16969968 (52% vs 16%, p = 0.001), rs1051730 (53% vs 17%, p = 0.001), and rs6277 (72% v 25%, p= 0.001) than the general population. rs1800497 (37% v 45% p = 1.1 e-06) had a decreased frequency in the MCC population. No statistically significant prevalence of SNPs correlated with the smoking behavior category.

Conclusions: This study supports the possibility of a regional distribution of SNPs in Kentucky correlating with smoking behavior. Further investigation of these relationships may be important to future tobacco prevention strategies and smoking cessation therapies.