Polymorphisms in the FAS and FASL genes and risk of lung cancer in a Korean population

Background: The FAS and FASL system play an important role in regulating extrinsic apoptotic pathway and inappropriate regulation of this signaling pathway contributes to lung tumorigenesis. Polymorphisms in the promoter region of the FAS (-1377G>A and -670A>G) and FASL (-844C>T) have been shown to alter the transcriptional activities of these genes. In order to evaluate the contribution of these polymorphisms to the risk of lung cancer, we carried out a case-control study in a Korean population. Methods: The FAS and FASL genotypes were determined in 582 lung cancer patients and 582 healthy control subjects who were frequency-matched for age and gender. Results: The FAS and FASL genotypes and the FAS haplotypes exhibited no apparent relationship with the risk of lung cancer. In addition, there was no significant interaction between the FAS and FASL polymorphisms in the development of lung cancer. Conclusion: These results suggest that the FAS-1377G>A and -670A>G and FASL-844C>T polymorphisms do not significantly affect the susceptibility to lung cancer in Koreans. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.