title: A common interleukin-6 promoter polymorphism in patients with vulvar cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Besides its important role in immune response and inflammatory processes the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is crucially involved in carcinogenesis. A common polymorphism within the gene encoding IL-6 (IL6) is known to alter IL-6 protein expression and has been associated with patients' prognosis in various malignancies. No data are available with respect to vulvar cancer. Therefore, we determined the prognostic potential of the common -174(G-->C) single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of IL6 in a series of patients with this disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The IL6 promoter polymorphism was investigated in 81 Caucasian patients with surgically treated squamous cell vulvar cancer using pyrosequencing. Results were correlated with clinical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No association was ascertained between the IL6 promoter polymorphism and the investigated clinicopathologic parameters, ie, tumor stage, lymph node involvement, tumor grade, and patient's age at diagnosis. In an univariate analysis, lymph node involvement and patients' age at diagnosis were associated with patient prognosis. In a multivariate analysis, including tumor stage and lymph node involvement as established prognostic factors and the IL6 promoter polymorphism, lymph node involvement, and the presence of at least one mutant allele, but not tumor stage, were associated with increased disease-free and overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that the IL6 -174(G-->C) promoter polymorphism might serve as an additional prognostic parameter in patients with vulvar cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Six
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomovski
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Speiser
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joura
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zeillinger
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sliutz
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reinthaller
authors.forename: Lukas A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hefler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6