Carcinoma of the prostate and HLA antigens

A possible association between HLA antigens and carcinoma of the prostate was searched for in 20 patients and 200 healthy kidney donors. HLA antigens A26, A28, B13, B14, B40, Bw4 and Cw4 were more common in patients with carcinoma of the prostate. The relative risk for HLA B14 was 7.78 (95% confidence interval 7.60-8.13). The relative risk for patients carrying the above antigens (except A28) was higher than 2. This study shows that certain HLA antigens may be more frequent in patients with carcinoma of the prostate. Before drawing any conclusions from these findings, they have to be confirmed by other studies.