Significant association between IL-18 and OCT4 gene polymorphisms in susceptibility and clinical characteristics of prostate cancer*

Abstract

Abstract Objective Recent studies have shown abnormal expression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) to be related to cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the IL-18 and OCT4 gene polymorphisms are associated with prostate cancer remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the presence of IL-18 and OCT4 polymorphisms were associated with size, grade, tumor, nodes and metastasis (TNM) stage, or survival in patients with prostate cancer. Methods Polymorphisms in OCT4 and IL-18 genes were evaluated to determine susceptibility to prostate cancer in 120 patients. A control group consisted of 125 Chinese participants. Genotyping was performed using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results No association was found between OCT4 and IL-18 gene polymorphisms and prostate cancer susceptibility. For OCT4 AA and IL-18-607 CC genotypes, there was a significant association with higher tumor grade (P = 0.03 and P = 0.025) and stage (P = 0.04 and P = 0.001). The OCT4 and IL-18-137 GG genotype was correlated with higher tumor grade (P = 0.028) and stage (P = 0.008). Furthermore, OCT4 AA was significantly more frequent in patients with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.02) and distant metastasis (P = 0.01). The Cox proportional hazard model showed that tumor grade and stage grouping were independent prognostic factors but IL-18 and OCT4 polymorphisms were not. Conclusion The OCT4 gene may have a profound effect on prostate cancer risk. Polymorphism variants in the IL-18 (IL-18-607 and IL-18-137) and OCT4 genes may be associated with poor prognoses for individuals with prostate cancer.