A functional insertion/deletion polymorphism in the promoter region of NFKB1 gene increases susceptibility for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignancy in southern China and Southeast Asia. Nuclear factor-kappa (NF-kappa B)-activation plays critical roles in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) mediated tumorigenesis in NPC. A functional insertion/deletion polymorphism (-94 insertion/deletion ATTG) in the promoter of NFKB1 gene, which encodes the p50 subunit of NF-kappa B protein complex, was recently identified. This study found that the frequency of ATTG(2) allele in NPC patients was significantly higher than that in control subjects (66% vs. 57.1 %, p = 0.015, OR = 1.453), suggesting that the functional NFKB1 promoter polymorphism is associated with increased risk for NPC. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.