APOBEC3B deletion polymorphism and lung cancer risk in the southern Chinese population

Approximately 80-85% of lung cancer is the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subtype, which ranks as the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. APOBEC3B (A3B) was reported to be a key source of mutations in NSCLC. However, the role of the A3B deletion polymorphism in the etiology of NSCLC has not been well-documented.

A case-control study with 317 NSCLC patients and 334 healthy controls was conducted to explore the association between the A3B deletion polymorphism and the risk of NSCLC. The unconditional logistic regression model was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI), and the confounding factors were adjusted, including age, gender, and smoking status, to estimate the risk. An analysis of gene-environment interactions was performed using multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) software.

We found that the del/del genotype of A3B deletion significantly increased NSCLC risk. Compared with individuals carrying the ins/ins genotype of A3B deletion, individuals with the del/del genotype had a 2.36 times increased risk of developing NSCLC after adjusting for confounding factors (OR =2.71, 95% CI: 1.67-4.42, P<0.001). A 3-factor gene-environment (A3B deletion, gender, and smoking) interaction model was found for NSCLC (OR =4.407, 95% CI: 1.174-16.549, P=0.028).

We propose that the A3B deletion polymorphism can increase the risk of developing NSCLC, and their interactions with gender and smoking may contribute to the risk of NSCLC in the southern Chinese population.