TP53 and cancer: TP53 is one of the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor genes in cancer.7 The somatic mutations of p53 are generally believed to be associated with the inactivation of p53, which results in death evasion of tumor cells and subsequent tumor progression.8 However, the roles of germline SNPs found in the coding region of TP53 in tumorigenesis and tumor development remain largely elusive.