Education, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and IL-2 and IL-6 gene polymorphisms in the survival of head and neck cancer

Correlation of IL-6 and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway with prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

IL-6 is reported to be the main upstream activator, instead of the downstream target of JAK2/STAT3. This study is intended to explore the correlation of IL-6 and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway with clinicopathological features and prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). First, NPC tissues and normal nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues were obtained from 117 NPC patients. Next, we detected expression levels of IL-6 in serum and those of STAT3, p-STAT3, JAK2, p-JAK2 and CyclinD1 in tissues. A follow-up was conducted in all the patients and the survival was analyzed. To verify the correlation of IL-6 and JAK2/STAT3 pathway, CNE-1 and SUNE1 NPC cells were interpreted with IL-6 and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway inhibitor AG490 to detect cell viability, migration and invasion. We observed thatIL-6 increased in serum of NPC patients. The expressions of IL-6, STAT3, p-STAT3, JAK2, p-JAK2 and CyclinD1 in NPC tissues were higher and correlated with TNM stage and lymph node metastasis (LNM). Survival rates were reduced in patients with positive expressions of IL-6, STAT3, p-STAT3, JAK2, p-JAK2 and CyclinD1. LNM and positive expressions of IL-6 and p-STAT3 were risk factors for poor prognosis of NPC. Besides, recombinant human IL-6 promoted cell proliferation, invasion and migration while AG490 inhibited cell proliferation, invasion and migration in CNE-1 and SUNE1 NPC cells. The results demonstrated that increased IL-6 expression and the activated JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway had effects on prognosis and reduced the survival time in NPC patients, which provide a potential target for the treatment of NPC.

Association Between Interleukin-6 and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine which plays an important role in several regulatory mechanisms of cancer. Moreover, experimental and clinical studies have reported that IL-6 targeted therapies might provide significant benefits for cancer treatment. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate IL-6 activity in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A systematic review of the association between serum, saliva and tumor IL-6 and HNSCC was developed on PubMed/Medline in the publication range from January 1995 to January 2019. Our literature analysis demonstrated that overexpression and elevated serum and/or saliva IL-6 concentrations in patients with HNSCC are related to poor survival and oncological outcomes. Although there is a correlation between IL-6 concentrations and tumorigenicity, it is noteworthy that IL-6 targeted therapies are generally performed in vitro and in experimental studies. Therefore, prospective, randomized clinical trials are required that focus on IL-6 targeted therapies for the treatment of HNSCC.

Occurrence of Interleukin-2 (330 G/T) Promoter Polymorphism in ARV associated hepatotoxicity

BACKGROUND

IL-2 cytokine is involved in HIV replication and is also known to cause hepatic injury. Polymorphisms in the IL-2 gene are associated with altered interleukin-2 production.

METHODS

Hence, we assessed the prevalence of IL-2-303G/T polymorphism in 165 HIV patients (34 with and 131without hepatotoxicity) and 155 healthy controls using the PCR-RFLP method.

RESULTS

In patients with hepatotoxicity, IL-2-303GT, -303GT+TT genotypes were less prevalent as compared to without hepatotoxicity and healthy controls (29.4% vs. 42.7%, 58.8% vs. 69.5%; 29.4% vs. 40.6%, 58.8% vs. 66.5%, respectively). In patients with hepatotoxicity using tobacco and alcohol, IL-2-303GT,-303TT genotypes were distributed higher as compared to non-users (42.9% vs. 25.9%, OR=8.52, 42.9% vs. 25.9%, OR=9.09, and 28.6% vs. 29.6%, OR=1.63, 42.9% vs. 25.9%, OR=2.93), while IL-2-303TT genotype occurred more often in HIV patients consuming alcohol (34.1% vs. 23.0%). Nevirapine users with hepatotoxicity overrepresented the IL-2-303GT,-303TT genotypes as compared to efavirenz (34.8% vs. 18.2%, OR=4.64, 34.8% vs. 18.2%, OR=3.88). Among nevirapine users, IL-2-303GT genotype was associated with susceptibility to the acquisition of hepatotoxicity with borderline significance (OR=4.24, P=0.06). HIV patients using nevirapine majorly represented the IL-2-303TT genotype (26.9% vs. 25.0%, OR=2.35) while HIV patients with nevirapine + alcohol usage presented the IL-2 -330TT genotype at a higher frequency (34.2%% vs. 23.5%, OR=1.51). In patients with hepatotoxicity using nevirapine + alcohol, the genotype IL-2 - 330TT was predominant (60.0% vs. 27.8%, OR=3.16).

CONCLUSION

Thus, IL-2-303G/T polymorphism did not confer the susceptibility to ARV associated hepatotoxicity. However, IL-2-303G/T polymorphism with nevirapine usage may facilitate the risk for acquisition of ARV associated hepatotoxicity.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma: epidemiological study and risk factor assessment based on a 39-year series

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a challenge for head and neck surgeons, with low 5-year survival rates despite improvements in diagnostic techniques and therapies. This retrospective observational study was performed to evaluate the epidemiology and risk factors in a cohort of 666 patients with invasive OSCC over a 39-year period. Risk factors assessed were age, sex, toxic habits, premalignant lesions, tumour location and size, and neck involvement, and pathological factors such as surgical margins, tumour thickness, perineural invasion, and bone invasion. These factors were analysed over time, and their influence on recurrence and survival rates examined. Results were compared with those of current epidemiological studies in the literature. This series showed a tendency to diagnosis at older ages (P<0.001) and decreased differences in sex distribution (P<0.001) over time. Regarding risk factors, tobacco and alcohol drinking increased significantly in females, but remained stable in males. Forty percent of the patients developed recurrences during follow-up; the relapse rate did not improve over time (45.6% in the 1980s to 36.1% in 2010-2017). The 5-year survival rate also remained stable over time, ranging from 62.7% (1980s) to 71.7% (2010-2017). This epidemiological study analysed trends across four decades in a stable cohort, with results that may be extrapolated to the populations of European countries. The results confirmed that recurrence rates and survival rates have not improved over time, despite better surgical treatments and new therapies. Further studies are needed to improve knowledge about genetics and tumour behaviour in oral cancer.

The influence of smoking, age and stage at diagnosis on the survival after larynx, hypopharynx and oral cavity cancers in Europe: The ARCAGE study

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a preventable malignancy that continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Using data from the ARCAGE and Rome studies, we investigated the main predictors of survival after larynx, hypopharynx and oral cavity (OC) cancers. We used the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate overall survival, and Cox proportional models to examine the relationship between survival and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. 604 larynx, 146 hypopharynx and 460 OC cancer cases were included in this study. Over a median follow-up time of 4.6 years, nearly 50% (n = 586) of patients died. Five-year survival was 65% for larynx, 55% for OC and 35% for hypopharynx cancers. In a multivariable analysis, we observed an increased mortality risk among older (≥71 years) versus younger (≤50 years) patients with larynx/hypopharynx combined (LH) and OC cancers [HR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.09-2.38 (LH) and HR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.35-3.33 (OC)], current versus never smokers [HR = 2.67, 95% CI 1.40-5.08 (LH) and HR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.32-3.54 (OC)] and advanced versus early stage disease at diagnosis [IV versus I, HR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.78-3.79 (LH) and HR = 3.17, 95% CI 2.05-4.89 (OC)]. Survival was not associated with sex, alcohol consumption, education, oral health, p16 expression, presence of HPV infection or body mass index 2 years before cancer diagnosis. Despite advances in diagnosis and therapeutic modalities, survival after HNC remains low in Europe. In addition to the recognized prognostic effect of stage at diagnosis, smoking history and older age at diagnosis are important prognostic indicators for HNC.

Interleukin-6-174G>C gene promoter polymorphism and prognosis in patients with cancer

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of cancer progression. IL-6-174G>C polymorphism has shown several results in association studies. In this study, we evaluated the association the IL-6-174G>C polymorphism and overall survival (OS) of cancer using 17 eligible studies with 4,304 patients. Our meta-analysis indicated that IL-6-174G>C polymorphism is not associated with OS when assessed using 3 genotype comparison including GG/(GC+CC), CC/(GC+GG) and CC/GG. Interestingly, compared to GG carrier, patients with IL-6-174GC genotype showed a decreased hazard of poor OS (hazard ratio = 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.68–0.96, P = 0.018; I² = 34.5%, Phet = 0.107). However, for GG/(GC+CC) genotype comparison, this SNP is affect patients’ OS obviously in bladder cancer, ovarian and peritoneal cancer, neuroblastoma, gastric cancer and osteosarcoma, though pooled results showing negative association because adverse and protective effect on different type of cancer balance each other. These results suggest IL-6-174G>C polymorphism might play a role in modulating OS in different type of cancer and might contribute to individual treatment in the future.

A novel prognostic score model incorporating CDGSH iron sulfur domain2 (CISD2) predicts risk of disease progression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

The role of CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 (CISD2) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains unclear.

Results

CISD2 were up-regulated in LSCC tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues both at mRNA and protein levels. CISD2 was significantly correlated with T stage, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage and disease progression. A prognostic model (C-N model) for PFS was subsequently constructed based on independent prognostic factors including CISD2 and N classification. This model significantly divided LSCC patients into three risk subgroups and was more accurate than the prediction efficacy of TNM classification in the training cohort (C-index, 0.710 vs 0.602, P = 0.027) and validation cohort (C-index, 0.719 vs 0.578, P = 0.014).

Methods

Real-time PCR and Western blotting were employed to examine the expression of CISD2 in eight fresh paired LSCC samples. Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess CISD2 expression in 490 paraffin-embedded archived LSCC samples. A prognostic model for progression-free survival (PFS) was built using independent factors. The concordance index (C-Index) was used to evaluate the prognostic ability of the model.

Conclusions

CISD2 was up-regulated in LSCC. The novel C-N model, which includes CISD2 levels and N classification, is more accurate than conventional TNM classification for predicting PFS in LSCC.

Association Between Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Survival, Smoking at Diagnosis, and Marital Status

Importance

While the adverse association between smoking and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) survival has been well described, there are also inconclusive studies and those that report no significant changes in HNSCC survival and overall mortality due to smoking. There is also a lack of studies investigating the association of marital status on smoking status at diagnosis for patients with HNSCC.

Objective

To examine the association between patient smoking status at HNSCC diagnosis and survival and the association between marital status and smoking in these patients.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study was conducted by querying the Saint Louis University Hospital Tumor Registry for adults with a diagnosis of HNSCC and treated at the university academic medical center between 1997 and 2012; 463 confirmed cases were analyzed.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate association of survival with smoking status at diagnosis and covariates. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess whether marital status was associated with smoking at diagnosis adjusting for covariates.

Results

Of the 463 total patients (338 men, 125 women), 92 (19.9%) were aged 18 to 49 years; 233 (50.3%) were aged 50 to 65 years; and 138 (29.8%) were older than 65 years. Overall, 56.2% of patients were smokers at diagnosis (n = 260); 49.6% were married (n = 228); and the mortality rate was 54.9% (254 died). A majority of patients were white (81.0%; n = 375). Smokers at diagnosis were more likely to be younger (ie, <65 years), unmarried, and to drink alcohol. We found a statistically significant difference in median survival time between smokers (89 months; 95% CI, 65-123 months) and nonsmokers at diagnosis (208 months; 95% CI, 129-235 months). In the adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, patients who were smokers at diagnosis were almost twice as likely to die during the study period as nonsmokers (hazard ratio, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.42-2.77). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, unmarried patients were 76% more likely to use tobacco than married patients (adjusted odds ratio, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.08-2.84).

Conclusions and Relevance

Smokers were almost twice as likely as nonsmokers to die during the study period. We also found that those who were married were less likely to be smokers at diagnosis. Our study suggests that individualized cancer care should incorporate social support and management of cancer risk behaviors.

Smoking and gender modify the effect of TWIST on patient survival in head and neck squamous carcinoma

PURPOSE

TWIST is a critical factor for predicting prognosis in several human cancers. Here, we study the prognostic significance of TWIST1 and TWIST2 in Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) as well as interactions of TWISTs with both gender and smoking in patient survival.

METHODS

upper quartile normalized RNA-seq V2 RSEM values of TWIST1 and TWIST2 expressions were retrieved from a TCGA HNSCC dataset. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to assess the associations of TWIST1 and TWIST2 with patient survival, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the hazards ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Survival analyses showed that high TWIST1 expression was associated with a poor overall survival at a borderline significance level, while a superior but not statistically significant overall survival was observed in high TWIST2 expression. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model showed a significantly elevated risk of death (HR=1.37, p = 0.038) in patients with high TWIST1 compared to low TWIST1, and a borderline significantly decreased risk of death (HR = 0.74, p = 0.055) in patients with high TWIST2 compared to low TWIST2. Further stratification analyses showed that increased risks of death were found significantly in male and borderline significantly in smoker patients with high TWIST1 compared to low one, and a significantly decreased risk of death in non-smoker patients with high TWIST2 compared to low one.

CONCLUSIONS

TWIST1 and TWIST2 are differentially associated with HNSCC patient survival. Gender and smoking could modify the effect of TWISTs on the risk of death in HNSCC patients.

Tobacco and alcohol consumption after total laryngectomy and survival: A German multicenter prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

We examined the relation of tobacco and alcohol consumption after total laryngectomy with overall survival (OS).

METHODS

Tobacco and alcohol consumption was assessed at 5 time points after total laryngectomy. Patients were followed up for survival until December 31, 2014. A multivariate Cox regression was fitted to test for differences in OS.

RESULTS

Three hundred fifty-nine patients were included in this study. Compared to former smokers, never smokers had hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.88 (95% confidence intervals [CIs] = 0.50-1.59), and continuous smokers 1.31 (95% CI = 0.87-1.96). Constantly high alcohol consumption after total laryngectomy had an HR of 2.19 (95% CI = 1.30-3.67). Duration of smoking (HR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.99-1.01) and last known status of alcohol consumption (HR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.76-1.33) was not related to OS.

CONCLUSION

Patients who smoke after total laryngectomy have a 30% higher risk of dying than people who gave up smoking, and constant high alcohol consumption is also a strong risk factor for dying. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1324-1329, 2016.

Hepatitis-related hepatocellular carcinoma: Insights into cytokine gene polymorphisms

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary liver cancer, which is one of the most prevalent cancers among humans. Many factors are involved in the liver carcinogenesis as lifestyle and environmental factors. Hepatitis virus infections are now recognized as the chief etiology of HCC; however, the precise mechanism is still enigmatic till now. The inflammation triggered by the cytokine-mediated immune response, was reported to be the closest factor of HCC development. Cytokines are immunoregulatory proteins produced by immune cells, functioning as orchestrators of the immune response. Genes of cytokines and their receptors are known to be polymorphic, which give rise to variations in their genes. These variations have a great impact on the expression levels of the secreted cytokines. Therefore, cytokine gene polymorphisms are involved in the molecular mechanisms of several diseases. This piece of work aims to shed much light on the role of cytokine gene polymorphisms as genetic host factor in hepatitis related HCC.

Association between two interleukin-2 gene polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis

Background

Several epidemiological studies have illustrated that polymorphisms in interleukin-2 (IL-2) were associated with diverse cancer types. However, recently published statistics were inconsistent and inconclusive. Therefore, the current meta-analysis was performed to elaborate the effects of IL-2 polymorphisms (rs2069762 and rs2069763) on cancer susceptibility.

Material and methods

A total of 5,601 cancer cases and 7,809 controls from 21 published case–control studies were enrolled in our meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between IL-2 polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility.

Results

Our study demonstrated an increased susceptibility to cancer in rs2069762 (G vs T: OR =1.268, 95% CI =1.113–1.445; GG vs TT: OR =1.801, 95% CI =1.289–2.516; GT vs TT: OR =1.250, 95% CI =1.061–1.473; GG + GT vs TT: OR =1.329, 95% CI =1.118–1.579; GG vs GT + TT: OR =1.536, 95% CI =1.162–2.030). In the subgroup analysis, increased susceptibility to cancer was identified in the hospital-based group and P_HWE<0.05 (P-value of the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium [HWE]) group. In addition, a positive association with cancer susceptibility was observed among both Chinese and non-Chinese. However, no relationship was detected between the rs2069763 polymorphism of IL-2 and cancer susceptibility.

Conclusion

To conclude, rs2069762 polymorphism of IL-2 contributed to an increased susceptibility to cancer, whereas no association was identified between rs2069763 polymorphism and cancer susceptibility. Further detailed studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Socioeconomic and Other Demographic Disparities Predicting Survival among Head and Neck Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, "Unequal Treatment," which defines disparities as racially based, indicates that disparities in cancer diagnosis and treatment are less clear. While a number of studies have acknowledged cancer disparities, they have limitations of retrospective nature, small sample sizes, inability to control for covariates, and measurement errors.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine disparities as predictors of survival among newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients recruited from 3 hospitals in Michigan, USA, while controlling for a number of covariates (health behaviors, medical comorbidities, and treatment modality).

METHODS

Longitudinal data were collected from newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients (N = 634). The independent variables were median household income, education, race, age, sex, and marital status. The outcome variables were overall, cancer-specific, and disease-free survival censored at 5 years. Kaplan-Meier curves and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were performed to examine demographic disparities in relation to survival.

RESULTS

Five-year overall, cancer-specific, and disease-free survival were 65.4% (407/622), 76.4% (487/622), and 67.0% (427/622), respectively. Lower income (HR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0 for overall survival; HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-1.9 for cancer-specific survival), high school education or less (HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9 for overall survival; HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9 for cancer-specific survival), and older age in decades (HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7 for overall survival; HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4 for cancer-specific survival) decreased both overall and disease-free survival rates. A high school education or less (HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-2.1) and advanced age (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.6) were significant independent predictors of poor cancer-specific survival.

CONCLUSION

Low income, low education, and advanced age predicted poor survival while controlling for a number of covariates (health behaviors, medical comorbidities, and treatment modality). Recommendations from the Institute of Medicine's Report to reduce disparities need to be implemented in treating head and neck cancer patients.

Prognostic Value of Drinking Status and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Polymorphism in Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

The association between alcohol drinking, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) polymorphism, and survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study of 267 HNSCC patients at Aichi Cancer Center. Of these, 65 patients (24%) were non-drinkers, 104 (39%) were light drinkers (ethanol <46 g or <5 days/week), 46 (17%) were moderate drinkers (ethanol intake 46–68 g/day and ≥5 days/week), and 52 (20%) were heavy drinkers (ethanol intake ≥69 g and ≥5 days/week). The prognostic value of pre-treatment drinking status and ALDH2 polymorphism was investigated using multivariate proportional hazard models.

Results

Drinking status was associated with disease-free survival (DFS) in HNSCC patients, with marginal statistical significance (5-year DFS: 67.9% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 53.8–78.4%] for non-drinkers, 57.6% [95% CI, 47.4–66.6%] for light drinkers, 46.1% [95% CI, 30.8–60.1%] for moderate drinkers, and 43.5% [95% CI, 29.3–56.9%] for heavy drinkers; P = 0.088). However, this association lost significance when multivariate analyses were adjusted for established prognostic factors. ALDH2 genotype was not significantly associated with DFS in HNSCC patients (5-year DFS: 85.7% [95% CI, 53.9–96.2%] for Lys/Lys, 56.2% [95% CI, 47.4–64.1%] for Glu/Lys, and 50.5% [95% CI, 40.3–59.7%] for Glu/Glu; P = 0.154). After stratification by ALDH2 genotype, we observed a significant positive dose-response relationship between drinking status and DFS in HNSCC patients with ALDH2 Glu/Glu (P_trend = 0.029).

Conclusions

In this study, we identified a significant positive dose-response relationship between pre-treatment drinking status and DFS in HNSCC patients with ALDH2 Glu/Glu. To confirm this association, further study is warranted.

Alcohol drinking as an unfavorable prognostic factor for male patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The relationship between alcohol drinking and the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is unknown. To investigate the prognostic value of alcohol drinking on NPC, this retrospective study was conducted on 1923 male NPC patients. Patients were classified as current, former and non-drinkers according to their drinking status. Furthermore, they were categorized as heavy drinkers and mild/none drinkers based on the intensity and duration of alcohol drinking. Survival outcomes were compared using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model. We found that current drinkers had significantly lower overall survival (OS) rate (5-year OS: 70.2% vs. 76.4%, P < 0.001) and locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rate (5-year LRFS: 69.3% vs. 77.5%, P < 0.001) compared with non-drinkers. Drinking ≥14 drinks/week, and drinking ≥20 years were both independent unfavorable prognostic factors for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.81, P = 0.022; HR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.09–1.75, P = 0.007). Stratified analyses further revealed that the negative impacts of alcohol were manifested mainly among older patients and among smokers. In conclusion, alcohol drinking is a useful predictor of prognosis in male NPC patients; drinkers, especially heavy drinkers have poorer prognosis.

Association of IL-2 polymorphisms and IL-2 serum levels with susceptibility to HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma in a Chinese Zhuang population

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an immunoregulatory cytokine produced by T cells and plays an important role in antitumor immunity. Variations in the DNA sequence of the IL-2 gene may lead to altered cytokine production and/or activity, and thus modulate an individual's susceptibility to hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-related HCC). To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether IL-2 gene polymorphisms and its serum levels are associated with HBV-related HCC in a Chinese population.

METHODS

The +114T/G and -384T/G polymorphisms in the IL-2 gene were examined in 115 cases of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 67 cases of HBV-related liver cirrhosis (LC), 107 cases of HBV-related HCC, and 105 healthy controls by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing. The serum IL-2 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

We found that there were significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of the IL-2 gene +114T/G polymorphism between the HBV-related HCC patients and the healthy controls. The +114 TG and GG genotypes were associated with a significant increased HCC risk as compared with the TT genotype (OR=1.988, 95% CI, 1.034-3.480, P=0.009 for TG genotype, and OR=1.975, 95% CI, 1.012-3.341, P=0.013 for GG genotype, respectively). The +114 G allele was correlated with a significant increased HCC risk as compared with the T allele (OR=1.423, 95% CI, 1.023-1.975, P=0.031). In addition, we found significant decreased serum IL-2 in HBV-related HCC patients (288.6±177.1ng/L) compared with healthy controls (238.2±136.7ng/L) (t=2.32, P=0.021). Genotypes carrying the +114 G variant allele were associated with decreased serum IL-2 levels compared with the homozygous wild-type genotype in HBV-related HCC patients.

CONCLUSION

The results suggested that the IL-2 +114T/G polymorphism may contribute to increased HBV-related HCC risk through regulating the serum IL-2 levels. Further large and well-designed studies in diverse ethnic populations are needed to confirm our results.

Interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 gene promoter polymorphisms and risk of endemic Burkitt lymphoma

Overexpression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 in endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) may facilitate tumorigenesis by providing a permissive cytokine milieu. Promoter polymorphisms influence interindividual differences in cytokine production. We hypothesized that children genetically predisposed for elevated cytokine levels may be more susceptible to eBL. Using case-control samples from western Kenya consisting of 117 eBL cases and 88 ethnically matched healthy controls, we tested for the association between eBL risk and IL-10 (rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872) and IL-6 (rs1800795) promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as well as IL-10 promoter haplotypes. In addition, the association between these variants and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) load was examined. Results showed that selected IL-10 and IL-6 promoter SNPs and IL-10 promoter haplotypes were not associated with risk eBL or EBV levels in EBV-seropositive children. Findings from this study reveal that common variants within the IL-10 and IL-6 promoters do not independently increase eBL risk in this vulnerable population.