Association of gene polymorphism and serum levels of IL-12p40 with the susceptibility to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Iraq

Abstract

Objective: Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a diverse lymphoid neoplasms and it is the sixth most common cancer in the world, but it is well established that immune dysregulation especially by cytokines is one of major risk factors. This study investigates the association of genetic polymorphisms of IL-12p401188A/C and its circulating serum measurement in patients with advanced stage of NHLs in Iraq.

Methods: Fifty-five confirmed patients with advanced stages of NHLs and 40 apparently healthy individuals were used. Genetic polymorphism and circulating levels of IL-12p40 were examined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) using specific primers and ELISA, respectively.

Results The results of SNP IL-12p40 1188A>C had three genotypes, which were AA, AC and CC. These genotypes represented 32.73%, 38.18% and 29.09%, respectively, among NHL patients and 52.5%, 37.5% and 10%, respectively, among controls with a significant difference for the homozygous mutant genotype (OR = 4.667, 95% CI = 1.319–16.512, P = 0.017). Serum levels of IL-12p40 were significantly increased in an allele-dependent manner, which was linked to the CC homozygosity as being the highest.

Conclusions: This study has revealed a significant correlation between the gene polymorphisms of IL-12p40 and the induction of serum IL-12 with the risk to poor prognosis in patients with NHL. The correlation with the NHL grades and the prognostic value warrant further progressive investigation of developing prognostic biomarkers for NHL using patients at various disease stages.