In the literature, data concerning the relationship between breast cancer and HLA class II gene polymorphisms are limited, so the aim of this study was to determine if HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 MHC class-II alleles may confer susceptibility or resistance to the disease among Jordanian females.
As a result, while HLA-DRB1 03, HLA-DQB1 02, HLA-DRB1 13, and HLA-DQB1 06 alleles were found to be involved in protectiveness against breast cancer and good prognosis; HLA-DQB1 03 and HLA-DRB1 04 alleles were found to be involved in poor prognosis.
Since HLA-DRB1*07:01 is associated with lapatinib-induced hepatotoxicity, genetic screening of HLA-DRB1*07:01 in breast cancer patients prior to lapatinib therapy is warranted for patient safety.
Our results present the first NY-BR-1-specific HLA-DRB1*0301- and HLA-DRB1*0401-restricted T cell epitopes that could be exploited for therapeutic intervention against breast cancer.