In the current study the TP53 codon 72 and MDM2 nucleotide 309 polymorphisms were investigated in a series of 61 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, mainly associated with HCV infection, and in 122 population-matched controls in order to verify the impact of these gene variants on the risk of tumour development. The gene discussed is MDM2; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.