Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Induced Protein 8 Polymorphism and Risk of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in a Chinese Population: A Case-Control Study

Background Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) has been reported to be associated with autoimmune and pro-inflammatory response, and genetic polymorphisms of candidate genes involved in autoimmune and pro-inflammatory response may influence the susceptibility to NHL. To evaluate the role of such genetic variations in risk of NHL, we conducted a case-control study of 514 NHL patients and 557 cancer-free controls in a Chinese population. Method We used the Taqman assay to genotype six potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six previously reported inflammation and immune-related genes ( TNF rs1799964T>C, LTA rs1800683G>A, IL-10 rs1800872T>G, LEP rs2167270G>A, LEPR rs1327118C>G, TNFAIP8 rs1045241C>T). Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results We observed a significantly increased risk of NHL associated with the TNFAIP8 rs1045241C>T polymorphism (adjusted OR = 3.03; 95% CI = 1.68–5.45 for TT vs. CC and adjusted OR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.53–2.69 for CT/TT vs. CC). The risk associated with the T allele was more evident in subgroups of 40–60 year-old, non-smokers or light-smokers (less than 25 pack-years), and subjects with normal weight or overweight. Risk for both B and T cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was elevated for CT/TT genotypes (adjusted OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.41–2.70 for B cell NHL and adjusted OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.49–3.30 for T cell NHL), particularly for DLBCL (adjusted OR = 2.01, 95%CI = 1.41–2.85) and FL (adjusted OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.17–5.45). These risks were not observed for variant genotypes of other five SNPs compared with their common homozygous genotypes. Conclusions The polymorphism of TNFAIP8 rs1045241C>T may contribute to NHL susceptibility in a Chinese population. Further large-scale and well-designed studies are needed to confirm these results.