Aim: To examine the possible influence of the MHC class II antigens alleles in the formation of the multinucleate aggressive giant cell tumour of bone.
Methods: HLA class II antigen alleles were investigated in eight white patients from north east England with confirmed diagnosis of giant cell tumour of bone. All had locally aggressive, immunophenotypically HLA-DR negative giant cell tumours.
Results: Five of the eight patients were found to be positive for HLA-DRB1*0801/3, the distribution of this allele in healthy white controls being quite low (2%). All but one of the patients possessing DRB1*080 also expressed DRB1*070.
Conclusions: HLA-DRB1*080 is pre-dominant in patients with immunophenotypic HLA-DR negative giant cell tumour of bone; individuals with the genotype 070/080 are at particularly high risk of developing giant cell tumour of bone.