ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN HUMAN-LEUKOCYTE ANTIGEN TYPE AND NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA IN CAUCASIANS IN THE UNITED-STATES

A genetic component to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has been suggest ed by associations of the malignancy with human leukocyte antigens (HL As) in Southern Chinese populations, among which NPC is a major cancer , Data from other races are inconclusive, We have investigated associa tions between NPC and HLA antigens at the HLA-A, B, C, and DQ loci and alleles at the DRB1 locus in a population-based, multicenter investig ation in the United States. Data from 82 cases and 140 controls are pr esented, making this the largest study population analyzing data from Caucasians to date. HLA frequencies from study cases were also compare d with external control groups from the 11th International Histocompat ibility Workshop and the National Marrow Donor Program. Logistic regre ssion methods were used to investigate the effects of the joint occurr ence of multiple HLA types and to assay for differences in HLA-associa ted risk in different age groups. A meta-analysis was undertaken to co mpare and summarize our results with previously published findings, Th e meta-analysis found a protective association with A2 antigen in non- Chinese [odds ratio (OR), 0.63; P < 0.001], a protective association w ith All across all races (OR, 0.54; P < 0.001), and an increased risk associated with B5 in Caucasians (OR, 2.81; P < 0.001). The present st udy also found independent associations, in a logistic regression mode l, between NPC and DRB11501 (OR, 0.33), DRB1*0405 (OR, 7.57), and Cw3 (OR, 0.42), although these data must be interpreted cautiously due to multiple-testing considerations. Associations were found to be more p ronounced in younger patients for A2, A11, A28, B8, and B51.