title: Specific HLA-DQB1 alleles associated with risk for development of hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the association of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1 alleles with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through meta-analysis of published data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control studies on HLA-DQB1 allele association with HCC published up to January 2010 were included in the analyses. The odds ratios (ORs) of HLA-DQB1 allele distributions in HCC patients were analyzed and compared with healthy controls. The meta-analysis software REVMAN 5.0 was applied for investigating heterogeneity among individual studies and for summarizing all the studies. A meta-analysis was performed using fixed-effect or random-effect methods, depending on the absence or presence of significant heterogeneity. Seven case-control studies containing 398 cases and 594 controls were included in the final analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the five family alleles, two (DQB1*02 and DQB1*03) were found to be significantly associated with the risk of HCC. The combined OR for the association of DQB1*02 and DQB1*03 allele with the risk for HCC was 1.78 (95% CI: 1.05-3.03, P = 0.03) and 0.65 (95% CI: 0.48-0.89, P = 0.007), respectively. Among the 13 specific alleles, two (DQB1*0502 and DQB1*0602) were significantly associated with risk of HCC. The combined OR for the association of DQB1*0502 and DQB1*0602 allele with the risk for HCC was 1.82 (95% CI: 1.14-2.92, P = 0.01) and 0.58 (95% CI: 0.36-0.95, P = 0.03), respectively. No significant association was established for other HLA-DQB1 family alleles and specific alleles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support the hypothesis that specific HLA-DQB1 allele families and alleles might influence the susceptibility or resistance to HCC, although it needs further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao 266071, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Ning
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Zhong-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiang-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Shu-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Quan-Jiang
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shi-Ying
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Xuan
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; C069051:HLA-DQB1 antigen