Insights into the Correlation between Toll-Like Receptor 2 Polymorphism and HBV-Related Disease Progression and Occurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case-Control Study in Egyptian Patients

Background and Aim. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes a variety of clinical manifestations, including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have crucial functions in immune and inflammatory control. Therefore, this study highlights the impact of TLR2 gene polymorphism on the progression of HBV-linked liver diseases (liver cirrhosis and HCC). Methods. In total, 170 chronic HBV patients and 50 healthy controls of comparable age and gender were included in this case-control study. Clinical, laboratory, and imaging evaluations were conducted. ELISA was used to determine serum IL-6 levels, and TLR2 (rs3804099) genotyping allelic discrimination assay was performed using real-time PCR. Results. IL-6 values were significantly higher in the HCC group, followed by the cirrhotic group, than those in chronic hepatitis and control groups (p