Association of IFNL3 rs12979860 polymorphism with HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility in a Chinese population

Abstract

Background

The association between interferon lambda-3 (IFNL3, also known as interleukin 28B, IL28B) rs12979860 polymorphism and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been investigated in recent studies with inconclusive and inconsistent results. IFNL3 rs12979860 polymorphism has been shown a marked differential distribution with regional and ethnic variation. Whether this single nucleotide polymorphism influences susceptibility to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC remains elusive.

Methods

In this case–control study, a total of 157 Chinese Han patients with chronic HCV infection were enrolled, including 62 HCV-related HCC patients and 95 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients without HCC, and the genetic polymorphism of IFNL3 rs12979860 was genotyped via a DNA microarray-based assay. The logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the correlation between the genetic polymorphism and risk of HCV-related HCC.

Results

A higher proportion of CT/TT genotype and T allele was observed in HCC patients compared to the CHC group. Under the genetic model of allele frequency, the T allele was associated with elevated risk of HCV-related HCC in the Chinese population compared to C allele after an adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, HCV infection duration, and HCV genotypes (P=0.046). In the subgroup analysis stratified by HCV genotype, subjects with CHC genotype 1b infection carrying rs12979860 T allele and CT+TT genotype had higher susceptibility to HCC than those with C allele and CC genotype (P=0.020, P=0.037, respectively).

Conclusion

IFNL3 rs12979860 polymorphism with T allele could be a factor that increases the risk of HCV-related HCC in the Chinese population, especially those subjects with CHC genotype 1b infection.

Keywords:

• IFNL3
• rs12979860
• polymorphism
• HCV
• HCC

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all participants for their participation in this study. This work was presented in the 27th Annual Conference of APASL, March 14–18, 2018, New Delhi, India and was published in abstract form in Hepatol Int (2018) 12 (Suppl 2): S388, HCC-24. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 30800974 and 81271845) and Tianjin Municipal Health Bureau of Science and Technology Fund (grant nos. 2012KR02 and 12KG118). Resources were provided by the Ralph H Johnson VAMC, Charleston, South Carolina.

Abbreviations

IFNL3, interferon lambda-3; IL28B, interleukin 28B; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; CHC, chronic hepatitis C; HCV, hepatitis C virus; LC, liver cirrhosis; IFN-λ3, IFN lambda-3; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; BMI, body mass index.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Written informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the present study. Ethical approval to carry out the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Second People’s Hospital. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Author contributions

WH and WKS conceived and designed the study. All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting or revising the article, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.