Interleukin‐23 receptor polymorphism as a risk factor for oral cancer susceptibility

Abstract

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of genetic polymorphisms of interleukin (IL)‐23 and the IL‐23 receptor (IL‐23R) on the susceptibility to oral cancer. Methods Polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) was used to measure polymorphisms of these genes in 240 controls and 240 patients with oral cancer. Results Individuals with at least 1 varied C allele of rs10889677 (IL‐23R polymorphism) had a 1.553‐fold risk (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.073–2.241) of developing oral cancer compared with patients with the wild‐type A/A homozygote. Patients with oral cancer with at least 1 varied C allele of rs10889677 had a 1.931‐fold risk of tumor lymph node metastasis compared with patients with the C/C homozygote. Conclusion The varied C allele of the IL‐23R gene may be considered a factor contributing to increased susceptibility and may be a predictive factor for tumor lymph node metastasis in Taiwanese with oral cancer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2012