Background: Two polymorphic forms of the p53 gene that codes either for Arginine or proline at codon 72 were identified, However, this individual might have one of the three genotypes: Arginine/Arginine, Proline/Proline or Arginine /Proline. Previous studies suggested that Arginine form of the p53 codon 72 polymorphism is a risk factor for HPV associated with cervical cancer and has been explored as a possible risk factor for the development of skin cancer in general. This study was aimed to clarify the association of this polymorphism in relation to beta Human Papilloma virus (HPV) 5,8 E6 oncoprotein expression in basal cell carcinoma in Basra, Iraq. Patients & Methods: Blood samples and tissue biopsy from 29 histologically confirmed BCC cases and 31 normal controls were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method to determine the genotype of p53 codon 72 and conventional PCR for HPV 5 and 8 E6 oncoprotein expression in BCC biopsies. Results: the frequency of Arg/Arg, Pro/Pro or Arg/Pro were 10.3%, 24.1% and 65.5% respectively among patients group and 6.5%, 58.1% and 35.5% among the control group. This result showed a significant increase in the frequency of p53-72 Arginine/Proline heterozygous among BCC cases as compared with controls according to the dominant genetic model (P value =0.007, the Odds ratio = 4.3, 95% CI = (1.4340-13.2059). There was negative expression of HPV 5 and 8 E6 oncoprotein in all the biopsies tested. Conclusion: These finding indicates that the heterozygosity of the p53 codon 72 could be an immunogentic risk factors in the development of BCC, but there was no association detected with HPV5,8 E6 oncoprotein from the examined cases.

The aim of the study is to find out the skin cancer distribution, level of risk and histopathological typing. Design: Retrospective cancer registry-based study. Setting: Cancer Research Unit, Basrah Medical College. Method: The study was performed from 2005 to 2009. Four hundred fifty-seven new cases were registered during five years. Eighty-three cases were not inhabitants of Basrah governorate and were excluded from statistical analysis. Therefore, the sample used in the study is 374 (81.8%). Result: Skin cancer accounts for 4.7% of all new cancer cases registered from 2005 to 2009. The mean age of skin cancer cases was 54.8+18.4 years. The risk increased with advancing age in both sexes in terms of relative frequency and in age specific incidence. Conclusion: Skin cancer has a major share among total cancer cases in Basrah. Further analytical epidemiological study to identify the determinants of local patterns is advised.