title: The interleukin-18 gene promoter -607 A/C polymorphism contributes to non-small-cell lung cancer risk in a Chinese population.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between interleukin-18 (IL-18) -607 A/C polymorphism and the risk of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its impact on the serum IL-18 level. The genotyping of IL-18 -607 A/C polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The results showed that the AA/AC genotype distribution in NSCLC patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (P=0.02). However, no significant differences were found between the two subgroups when stratified by clinical characteristics. Furthermore, serum IL-18 levels were found to be significantly higher in the NSCLC patients than in the controls (P=0.01) as detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis. There was no correlation between serum IL-18 levels and different genotypes. In conclusion, these findings suggest that IL-18 -607 A/C polymorphism increases the risk of NSCLC in the Chinese population, and this polymorphism could not functionally affect the IL-18 levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Youchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Hebei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Aimin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shunchang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Sumei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yan
keywords: IL-18; NSCLC; polymorphism