HLA class II DR-DQ and increased risk of cervical cancer among Senegalese women

To examine Senegalese women to confirm and extend associations between HLA class H types and cervical cancer previously observed among African-America n, Caucasian, Hispanic, and Japanese ethnic populations, 55 Senegalese wome n with invasive cervical carcinoma were compared with age-matched (human pa pillomavirus) HPV-positive (n = 83) and HPV-negative (n = 107) control wome n. PCR-based HPV and HLA typing methods were used. Data were analyzed using a global randomization test and conditional logistic regression. Although this study failed to confirm a previously reported association between cerv ical cancer and DQB1*03 alleles, the DRB1*1101-DQB1*0301 haplotype was dete cted more frequently among cervical carcinoma cases than among controls (ad justed odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-7.1). Furthermore, as reported by others, we observed a negative association of borderline statis tical significance between DRB1*13 and cervical carcinoma (adjusted odds ra tio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-1.1). Observations from this study c onfirm earlier findings of a negative association between DRB1*13 and cervi cal cancer and suggest that specific DRB1-DQB1 haplotype combinations, rath er than individual DQB1*03 alleles, increase the risk for cervical cancer.