Natural killer (NK) cell killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) contribute to the pathogenesis of many diseases. We determined the association between polymorphisms of KIR and their ligands and susceptibility to non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), clinical features and prognosis. We included 90 patients with NHL and 94 controls. In the NHL group, KIR2DS1, HLA-Bw4 (Thr80) and HLA-Bw4 (Thr80)+/Bw4 (Iso80)- ligands were significantly more frequent. Patients with early-stage NHL had more frequent KIR2DL5 and KIR2DL5B than patients with advanced-stage NHL. During a median follow-up of 27 months, 26 patients with NHL died. Poor prognostic factors in univariate analysis were KIR2DL5A, KIR2DS1 and KIR3DS1 genotypes. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, advanced age and early relapse were poor prognostic factors. KIR genes and ligands had no significant effect on survival. The activating KIR2DS1 gene might activate NK cells, contributing to the production of more lymphoma cells. In addition, KIR2DS1, KIR2DL5A and KIR3DS1 might also be associated with a poor prognosis in NHL.
Keywords: Natural killer (NK) cells; Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); genotype; killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR); polymorphism.