Non-Hodgkin lymphoma has been linked to infection with Coxiella burnetii, potentially through overproduction of IL-10 during infection with C. burnetii.
Genetic variations in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were reported to influence susceptibility to and outcome of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The meta-analysis suggested that the IL-10-1082A>G polymorphism was associated with increased risk of cancer in Asians and lung cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
We confirmed previous studies showing a polymorphism in the IL10 promoter (rs1800890/-3575T>A) to be associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as this allele was found to be associated with both CLL and WM.
IL-10 was chosen because immune alterations are a major risk factor for NHL, and IL-10 is a cytokine involved in inflammatory processes associated with clinical outcome.
To illustrate the application of the proposed method in population-based association studies, we use the procedure to study the association between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the IL10 gene.
NHL risks were increased among those with both an autoimmune condition and the TNF G308A GA/AA (OR(NHL), 2.1; 95% CI, 1.0-4.2) or the IL10T3575A TA/AA genotype (OR(NHL), 1.6; 95% CI, 0.9-2.6) compared with individuals without an autoimmune condition and with the common TNF G308A GG or IL10 T3575A TT genotype, respectively; results were similar for DLBCL and follicular lymphoma.
The high IL-10 production, due to IL-10(-1082GG) genotype, influences the clinical expression of the HCV infection by increasing susceptibility to develop NHL and might contribute to the indolent form of the disease.
Common polymorphisms in TNF and IL10, key cytokines for the inflammatory response and Th1/Th2 balance, could be susceptibility loci for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.