Association of Polymorphisms of Inflammatory-Relevant Genes with Cancer Risk

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) are among the most prevalent cancer types globally by incidence and mortality. Both types are influenced differentially by chronic inflammation. Central to this inflammation are inflammatory genes that are meticulously regulated by nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). NF-κB is negatively regulated by IκBα (encoded by NFKBIA), while TNF-α’s actions can be modulated by ghrelin (encoded by GHRL). We investigated four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NFKB1 (rs4648068), NFKBIA (rs2233406), TNF-α (rs1800629), and GHRL (rs1629816) as biomarkers for CRC and NHL risk in a cohort of Kuwaiti individuals. DNA samples from patients and controls were collected and genotyped for all SNPs, and their association with CRC or NHL risk was assessed. While rs4648068 showed a modest association with increased CRC risk, it had no significant impact on NHL risk. Conversely, rs2233406 increased NHL risk without affecting CRC risk. Interestingly, while rs1800629 showed a protective effect against NHL, it showed an increased risk for CRC. Finally, rs1629816 was associated with greater NHL but not CRC risk. Our findings suggests that variations of these inflammatory genes may be useful indicators for predicting cancer risk but might have unpredictable effects on cancer susceptibility, depending on the cancer type.