Abstract
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved in inflammation and carcinogenesis. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is also regarded as anti-inflammatory factors with the multi-functional ability to positively and negatively influence functional immunity and tumor development. Genetic polymorphisms of COX-2 and IL-10 might contribute to the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of COX-2 and IL-10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the risk of SCCHN in a Korean sample. We analyzed the COX-2 SNPs, -1329A>G, +1266C>T, and +6365T>C, and the IL-10 SNPs, -1082A>G, +920T>G, and +3917T>C, in 290 Korean SCCHN patients and 358 healthy controls. There was no significant association between the risk of SCCHN and the three COX-2 or three IL-10 SNPs. We analyzed three haplotypes (ht1, ht2, ht3) for COX-2 and found that COX-2 ht3+/+ was associated with a decreased risk of SCCHN in a Korean sample, compared with the COX-2 ht3 -/- genotype (P=0.03). Two haplotypes (ht1, ht2) of IL-10 were analyzed and there was no statistical significance in the distribution of haplotypes. Based on these results, the COX-2 haplotype ht3 can be used as a molecular biomarker to predict low risk groups of SCCHN in a Korean sample.