Brain glioma and human leukocyte antigens (HLA) - is there an association

Expression of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) is important for the immune re sponse against infectious agents and malignant cells. Association of single HLA antigens or HLA haplotypes with disease has been investigated previous ly, and positive correlations between HLA and some cancers, such as cervica l or nasopharyngeal carcinomas have been reported. In the present study, HL A antigen frequencies of 65 adult Caucasian patients with low-grade, anapla stic, or malignant astrocytic glioma (WHO grades II-IV) were compared with 157 racially similar, asymptomatic control individuals. Both standard serol ogic and PCR techniques for HLA typing were employed for all patients and c ontrols. Our results suggest a positive association between single HLA antigens and presence of symptomatic cerebral glioma. Compared with the control populati on, patients positive for HLA-A*25 had a 3.0-fold increased risk of glioma (p = 0.04), patients positive for HLA-B*27, a 2.7-fold risk (p = 0.03), and patients positive for HLA-DRB1*15, a 2.2-fold risk (p = 0.03), whereas HLA -DRB1*07 was associated with a 0.4-fold decreased risk of glioma (p = 0.02) . Occurrence rate of some HLA antigen combinations and estimated haplotypes was also different in glioma patients. Thus, HLA-DRB1*15:DRB5*(51) occurre nce in combination with HLA-DRB1*11 was associated with a 13.4-fold increas ed risk of glioma (p = 0.001), and the incidence of HLA-Cw*6:DRB1*07 with a 0.2-fold decreased risk of glioma (p = 0.03). In conclusion, single HLA antigens and their combinations and estimated hap lotypes are possibly significantly more or less frequent in persons develop ing symptomatic cerebral glioma during their adult life, compared with asym ptomatic individuals.