Associations of Human Leukocyte Antigen-DRB1 Alleles with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Significance in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China

Background: Genetic susceptibility is one of the major etiological factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Among the genetic predisposing factors, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes have been reported to be associated with NPC. This study aimed to investigate the associations ofHLA-DRB1 alleles with NPC and the clinical significance ofHLA-DRB1 alleles in NPC.Methods: From January 2009 to December 2013, 140 NPC patients (118 Han patients and 22 Uyghur patients) and 158 healthy controls (81 Han individuals and 77 Uyghur individuals) from Xinjiang Province were genotyped forHLA-DRB1 using the polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer technique. Chi-square analysis was used when comparing allele frequencies between groups. The clinical outcomes were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model.Results: Compared with healthy controls, the allele frequency ofHLA-DRB1 *0701 was increased in the Uyghur patients (P = 0.008) but not in the Han patients (P = 0.869).HLA-DRB1*0101 allele was presented with higher frequency in clinical Stage I + II group compared with clinical Stage III + IV group in the Han patients (P = 0.015) but not in the Uyghur patients (P = 1.000). Higher frequency ofHLA-DRB1*1501 allele was observed in patients aged <45 years compared with those in patients aged ≥45 years (P = 0.002). NeitherHLA-DRB1 *0701 norHLA-DRB1 *0101 had a statistically significant association with 3-year survival.Conclusions: This study foundHLA-DRB1*0701 in Uyghur population was associated with an increased risk of developing NPC. In Han population, we foundHLA-DRB1 *0101 was associated with protection from disease progression, andHLA-DRB1 *1501 was associated with early age of onset.HLA-DRB1 could not be identified as a prognostic indicator for NPC in either Han or Uyghur patients.