Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of cancer among men in the Indian subcontinent. Cytokines regulate inflammation and angiogenesis in a variety of cancers. Genetic variability in the cytokine genes can potentially influence the predisposition to oral carcinogenesis. The aim of the current study was to investigate the associations of SNPs in cytokine genes with the susceptibility of oral squamous cell carcinoma. In the present study, we have analyzed the allelic frequency of 32 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using MassArray-based iPLEX assay in 16 cytokine genes in 166 OSCC patients and 151 healthy subjects from central India. Out of 32 SNPs analyzed, five SNPs were significantly associated with the risk of OSCC. AA and GG genotypes of IL-1β +3953 were associated with an increased and decreased risk of OSCC, respectively. In several genetic models, GG genotype and G allele in IL-12A 3'UTR G>A were found to be associated with an increased risk of OSCC. Similarly, the GG genotype of IL-12B +1188 T>G was associated with increased susceptibility to OSCC. We conclude that SNPs in the genes coding for IL-1β, IL-12A and IL-12B are associated with increased genetic susceptibility to OSCC in the central Indian population.
Keywords: Genetic susceptibility; Interleukin-12A; Interleukin-12B; Interleukin-1β; SNPs.