The interleukin-18 -607A/C polymorphism is not associated with risk for oral cancer.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of angiogenesis-inhibitor interleukin-18 (IL-18) with risk for oral cancer, with regard to the recently found contribution of cytokines to carcinogenesis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The -607A/C polymorphism in the promoter region of the IL-18 gene, which affects transcription, was studied in 149 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and 89 matched healthy controls. RESULTS: The detected carrier and allele frequencies of the low transcription A allele were not significantly different in patients in comparison with controls (63.1% versus 60.7%, p = 0.78 and 40.9% versus 42.7%, p = 0.77, respectively). The same non-significant pattern was observed in subgroups of patients regarding cancer stage, family history of cancer or thrombosis, as well as smoking or heavy drinking habits. CONCLUSION: Despite the known inhibitory effect of IL-18 in angiogenesis, IL-18 gene expression is not a contributing factor in oral oncogenesis.