Relationships between genetic polymorphisms in inflammation-related factor gene and the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal cancer

Association Between Head and Neck Cancers and Polymorphisms 869T/C, 509C/T, and 915G/C of the Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Gene: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies

Background

Worldwide, head and neck cancers are the eighth most common malignancy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility to cancer and sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The inflammatory cytokine, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), is involved in the progression of malignancy. This study aimed to systematically review the literature and undertake a meta-analysis of case-control studies on the association between 869T/C, 509C/T, and 915G/C polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene and head and neck cancers.

Material/Methods

The published literature in the English and Chinese languages were searched to identify relevant studies reporting TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms and head and neck cancer. The PubMed, Embase, Wanfang Data, and CNKI databases were searched. Data were extracted from eligible studies, and meta-analysis was performed using Stata version 12.0 software.

Results

Ten case-control studies were identified. There was a significant association between the 869T/C polymorphism of the TGF-β1 gene and susceptibility to head and neck cancer. Subgroup analysis showed that the 869T/C polymorphism was not significantly associated with the histological type of head and neck cancer, but was significantly associated with susceptibility to head and neck cancer in the Asian population. The 509C/T polymorphism of the TGF-β1 gene was not significantly associated with susceptibility to nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), but the 915G/C polymorphism was associated with susceptibility to oral cancer.

Conclusions

Data from this meta-analysis showed that the 869T/C and 915G/C polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene might be associated with susceptibility to head and neck cancer.

No association between TGF-β1 polymorphisms and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a large North African case-control study

Background

Genetic susceptibility plays a key role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and in fact the disease presents with an unusually high incidence in certain regions of the world like North Africa. We investigated the association between polymorphism of the Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and risk of NPC in North Africa. TGF-β1 is a multifunctional cytokine that acts as both a tumor suppressor and a stimulator of cancer development; it has been shown to influence risk of numerous other carcinomas including lung, breast and prostate cancer.

Methods

TGF-β1 polymorphisms C-509T and T869C were studied in a large North African sample of 384 NPC cases and 361 controls, matched for age, sex and urban or rural residence in childhood. Genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Results

No association was observed between individual single nucleotide polymorphisms or their haplotypes and NPC susceptibility (for TGF-β1 C-509T: OR = 0.74; 95 % CI 0.46 − 1.18; for TGF-β1 T869C: OR = 0.86; 95 % CI 0.56 − 1.31), even when the samples were stratified by age, gender and TNM stage.

Conclusion

Contrary to what has been observed in Asian samples, in our North African sample, the TGF-β1 C-509T and T869C polymorphisms did not substantially influence NPC susceptibility.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12881-016-0337-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Increased Risk of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma with Increasing Levels of Diet-Associated Inflammation in an Italian Case-Control Study

PURPOSE

Components of diet can modulate inflammation and therefore may have an important role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Little is known about the inflammatory potential of diet in relation to nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis.

METHODS

Data from an Italian multicenter case-control study conducted between 1992 and 2008 and including 198 cases with incident, histologically confirmed NPC, and 594 controls hospitalized for acute nonneoplastic diseases were used to estimate the relation between a dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the risk of NPC. The DII was computed based on the intake of selected dietary factors assessed by a validated 78-item food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for study center, place of living, sex, age, year of interview, education, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and energy intake using the residual method.

RESULTS

Subjects with higher DII scores had an increased risk of NPC, with each DII point increasing risk by nearly 20% [OR: 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.36]. Compared to subjects in the lowest DII tertile, those in the highest tertile had >60% higher risk of NPC (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.06-2.55; Ptrend = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that inflammatory potential of diet plays a role in NPC.

IL-1α -889 C/T polymorphism and cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis

The -889 C/T polymorphism in the interleukin-1α (IL-1α) gene has been implicated in the risk of cancer, but the results are inconclusive. The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between the -889 C/T polymorphism and cancer risk. A literature search in PubMed, Embase™, Web of Science™, Science Direct^®, SpringerLink, EBSCO, Wanfang, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases was carried out to identify studies investigating the association between IL-1α -889 C/T polymorphism and cancer risk. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the strength of association. A total of 20 publications, involving 6,782 cases and 7,767 controls, were included in this meta-analysis. Combined analysis revealed a significant association between -889 C/T polymorphism and cancer risk under an allele model (OR =1.12, 95% CI =1.02–1.24, P=0.02), recessive model (OR =1.34, 95% CI =1.06–1.68, P=0.01), and homozygous comparison (OR =1.38, 95% CI =1.10–1.74, P<0.01). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed there was significant association between cancer risk and IL-1α -889C/T polymorphism in Asian populations under a recessive model (OR =2.57, 95% CI =1.11–5.98, P=0.03) and homozygous comparison (OR =2.60, 95% CI =1.12–6.04, P=0.03). Moreover, a subgroup analysis was conducted by source of control, and a statistically increased cancer risk was found in the hospital-based group, under a recessive model (OR =1.62, 95% CI =1.03–2.56, P=0.04) and homozygous comparison (OR =1.67, 95% CI =1.04–2.68, P=0.03). This meta-analysis suggests that IL-1α -889 C/T polymorphism contributes to cancer susceptibility. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this association.