Human leukocyte class I antigen alleles A2 and A11 are not associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in West Malaysia.
BACKGROUND
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the second most common cancer among Malaysian Chinese males. We determined the frequencies of 17 human leukocyte antigens (HLA), HLA-A and HLA-B, alleles in 88 Malaysian Chinese with NPC.


METHODS
Using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primers, the frequencies of 17 HLA-A and HLA-B alleles were analysed. They were A1, A2, A11, A31, A32, A33, B8, B13, B27, B38, B39, B44, B46, B55, B58, B61 and B71.


RESULTS
Three of the 17 alleles were detected in NPC patients. They were A1 (0.6 percent), A2 (56.3 percent) and A11 (43.2 percent). Three of the 17 alleles were detected in age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. They were A2 (50.0 percent), A11 (50.0 percent) and B27 (4.7 percent). The A2 and A11 alleles were evenly distributed in both groups, while A1 was only found in one NPC patient and B27 exclusively in healthy individuals.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that A1 is very rare, and A2, A11, A31, A32, A33, B8, B13, B38, B39, B44, B46, B55, B58, B61 and B71 alleles have no associations with the occurrence of NPC in Malaysia, while allele B27 is negatively associated.
Lee
L K
LK
Institute of Postgraduate Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. linkiatlee@gmail.com.
Tan
E L
EL
Gopala
K
K
Sam
C K
CK
D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D016017:Odds Ratio
D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens