Association between TAB2 genetic polymorphisms and the susceptibility to cervical cancer: a case-control study

Cervical cancer (CC) ranks as the fourth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women globally, with declining incidence and mortality rates in recent decades. Previous studies have suggested that the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) activated kinase 1 (TAK1) binding protein 2 (TAB2) can influence the stemness characteristics of squamous CC cells. However, the specific genetic impact of the TAB2 gene on CC remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between TAB2 genetic polymorphisms and susceptibility to CC using a hospital-based retrospective analysis.

A total of 306 CC patients and 309 healthy controls were included in this study. Genetic analysis involved genotyping of subjects using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Statistical analyses were conducted using SNPstats online analysis software and SPSS software.

The frequency of the G allele of rs521845 polymorphism was significantly higher in CC patients (P = 0.048, OR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.00-1.59), with GG homozygotes showing an increased susceptibility to CC compared to CC/CG genotype carriers (P = 0.045, OR = 1.57, 95%CI = 1.01-2.45). Additionally, all three tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with lymph node involvement in patients (P = 0.0006, OR = 0.01, 95%CI = 0.00-0.31 for rs237028 GG genotype; P = 0.009, OR = 0.17, 95%CI = 0.04-0.68 for rs521845 GG genotype; and P = 0.004, OR = 0.14, 95%CI = 0.03-0.59 for rs652921 CC genotype, respectively).

This study highlighted that TAB2 rs521845 polymorphism was significantly associated with susceptibility to CC, suggesting that the TAB2 gene may play a crucial role in the progression of CC.