Introduction: Cervical cancer, the second most common malignancy in women worldwide, is almost invariably associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV). However, although many women are infected with high-risk types of HPV, only a subset of infected women will ever develop cervical cancer. Therefore, host genetic factor may play a role in cervical carcinogenesis. Several studies suggested that immunological components play a key role in the development of cervical cancer. Polymorphism in the IL-1RA gene was associated with various malignant diseases. Data are lacking for cervical cancer.
Materials and methods: In a case-control study we analyzed the polymorphism of IL-1RA in 150 women with cervical cancer and 209 healthy controls. Genomic DNA fragments were amplified by PCR.
Results: There was a strong significantly protective association between heterozygous AB genotype and HPV 18 (OR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.04-0.30, p = 0.0000000). Similarly this result was demonstrated, in combined AB + BB genotypes of IL-1RA with HPV 18 (OR = 0.12, 95% CI= 0.05-0.30, p = 0.0000000) and HPV type 16 + 18 (OR = 0.18,95% CI = 0.08-0.38, p = 0.000005). We found high protective significant association between heterozygous genotype AB with adenocarcinoma (OR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.09-0.40, p = 0.0000002) as well.
Conclusion: These findings therefore suggest that the IL1-RA polymorphism is associated with cervical cancer.