[6] The role of the deoxyriboside form of 8-oxoguanine, 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (abbreviated 8-oxo-dG or 8-OHdG) in cancer and aging also applies to 8-oxoguanine.

Oxoguanine glycosylase is employed in the removal of 8-oxoguanine from DNA by the process of base excision repair.

As described in oxoguanine glycosylase, deficient expression of this enzyme causes 8-oxoguanine to accumulate in DNA.

This accumulation may then lead upon replication of DNA to mutations including some that contribute to carcinogenesis.

8-oxoguanine is usually formed by the interaction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the guanine base in DNA under conditions of oxidative stress; as noted in the article about them, such species may have a role in aging and male infertility, and 8-oxoguanine can be used to measure such stress.