Introduction:
Hepatitis C is considered one of the most common diseases in Egypt. We aim to clarify the association between cluster of differentiation 24 (CD24) polymorphism, talin-1 gene expression, and the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egyptian hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients.

Material and methods:
The link between CD24 polymorphism rs8734 and the prevalence of HCC was assessed between 200 control subjects and 400 HCV patients. Patients were classified as follows: 200 patients with HCV and 200 with HCV and HCC by histopathological assessment and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

Results:
The hepatitis C patients with HCC showed a significant increase in alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and talin-1 gene expression compared to patients with HCV as well as healthy volunteers. Furthermore, the frequency of CD24 170 CT/TT genotype was significantly higher in HCV patients without complications (60%) compared to CC genotype (40%) (OR= 6 at X²= 14.41, P = 0.0007), and in HCV with HCC patients (90%) when compared to CC genotype (10%) (OR= 36 at X²= 14.41, P = 0.0007).

Conclusions:
These data suggest that CD24 genetic polymorphism rs8734 and talin-1 gene expression may be a significant determinant for the prevalence of HCC in HCV patients.