Validation with all the genetic models revealed that rs7574865 polymorphism of <i>STAT4</i> gene was closely associated with chronic HBV infection (<i>P</i><sub>A</sub><0.01) and chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related HCC (<i>P</i><sub>A</sub><0.05).
STAT4 rs7574865 is a reliable predictor of response to IFNα therapy for HBeAg-positive CHB patients and may be used for optimizing the treatment of CHB.
Recent studies demonstrated that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2293152 in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and rs7574865 in signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) are associated with chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related HCC in the Chinese population.
The STAT4 variant (rs7574865) was marginally associated with HCC susceptibility in CHB carriers in allelic and recessive genetic models (OR=0.84, 95%CI=0.7-0.99, P=0.048 and OR=0.7, 95%CI=0.5-0.99, P=0.047).