Interleukin 2 Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematologic malignancy worldwide. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays a key role in the proliferation of T cells and natural killer cells. It has been reported that polymorphisms in the IL-2 gene are associated with various cancers. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of polymorphisms in the IL-2 gene on the development of NHL in the Chinese population. IL-2-330T/G and +114T/G polymorphisms were detected by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism in 438 NHL cases and 482 age-matched healthy controls. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results showed that individuals with −330TG genotype or −330GG genotype had significantly increased susceptibility to NHL (Odds ratio [OR]=1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.85, p=0.020 and OR=2.04, 95%CI: 1.28–3.24, p=0.002). Meanwhile, the +114T/G polymorphism did not show any correlation with NHL. When analyzing the haplotypes of these two polymorphisms, the prevalence of −330G/+114T haplotype was significantly higher in NHL cases than in controls (OR=1.45, 95%CI: 1.12–1.88, p=0.005). These data indicate that IL-2 gene polymorphisms may be new risk factors for NHL.