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.
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