Background: Gliomas are aggressive tumors of the central nervous system that rely on production of growth factors for tumor progression. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is up-regulated in gliomas to promote angiogenesis and proliferation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the IL-8 -251 T/A and +781 C/T polymorphisms and glioma risk.
Methods: We enrolled 300 glioma patients and 300 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. A prospective hospital-based case-control design and logistic regression analysis were utilized. The IL-8 gene polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).
Results: Glioma patients had a significantly higher frequency of IL-8 -251 AA genotype [odds ratio (OR) =1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.22, 3.00; P = 0.005] and IL-8 -251 A allele (OR =1.36, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.70; P = 0.009) than controls. When stratified by the grade of glioma, patients with WHO IV glioma had a significantly higher frequency of IL-8 -251 AA genotype (OR =1.56, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.39; P = 0.04).
Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature that the IL-8 -251 AA genotype and A allele were at a higher risk for glioma.