Functional Polymorphisms in Interleukin-23 Receptor and Susceptibility to Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Chinese Population

BACKGROUND As a key element in the T-helper 17 (Th17) cell-mediated inflammatory process, interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-23R have been frequently studied in several previous case-control cancer studies, but its association with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Chinese population has not been investigated. This study examined whether genetic polymorphisms in IL-23R were associated with ESCC susceptibility. METHODS A hospital-based case-control study of 684 ESCC patients and 1064 healthy controls was performed to assess the association between four previous reported IL-23R genotypes (rs6682925, rs6683039, rs1884444 and rs10889677) and ESCC risk. The results revealed that the C allele of the rs10889677A>C polymorphism in the 3'UTR of IL-23R gene was inversely associated with the risk of ESCC. RESULTS The rs10889677AC genotype had significantly decreased cancer risk (odds ratio [OR]  = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]  = 0.69-1.01) compared to subjects homozygous carriers of rs10889677AA, the risk decreased even further in those carrying rs10889677CC genotype (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.44-0.93). No significant association was found between the other three polymorphisms and the risk of ESCC. CONCLUSION These findings indicated that rs10889677A>C polymorphism in IL-23R may play a protective role in mediating the risk of ESCC.