In the present study, we evaluated the distribution of the TP53 codon 72 genotypes and MDM2 SNP309 in a series of 61 hepatocellular carcinoma cases comprising HCV and HBV infected patients, and compared them with healthy controls to possibly identify host genetic factors associated with the increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. This evidence concerns the gene TP53 and hepatocellular carcinoma.