Interleukin-23 receptor polymorphism as a risk factor for oral cancer susceptibility

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of genetic polymorphisms of interleukin (IL)-23 and the IL-23 receptor (IL-23R) on the susceptibility to oral cancer. Methods Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to measure polymorphisms of these genes in 240 controls and 240 patients with oral cancer. Results Individuals with at least 1 varied C allele of rs10889677 (IL-23R polymorphism) had a 1.553-fold risk (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.073-2.241) of developing oral cancer compared with patients with the wild-type A/A homozygote. Patients with oral cancer with at least 1 varied C allele of rs10889677 had a 1.931-fold risk of tumor lymph node metastasis compared with patients with the C/C homozygote. Conclusion The varied C allele of the IL-23R gene may be considered a factor contributing to increased susceptibility and may be a predictive factor for tumor lymph node metastasis in Taiwanese with oral cancer.