Interaction of smoking and CHRNA4 gene rs3787140 polymorphisms with lung cancer

Objective To investigate the association of smoking and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha 4 subunit (CHRNA4) gene polymorphisms with lung cancer in Chinese men. Methods A case-control study design was employed with a total of 204 male lung cancer patients and 821 healthy control subjects enrolled in the study.All the subjects were interviewed under a structured questionnaire with the contents on socio-demographic status and smoking behaviors.Venous blood samples were collected to measure rs3787140 gene polymorphisms.A series of multivariate logistic regression analysis and Kruskal-Wallis test method were performed to assess the association and interaction between smoking and the CHRNA4 gene polymorphisms on lung cancer. Results After controlling for potential confounding factors, data from the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the polymorphism of rs3787140 was not related to the pathological type and anatomical location of the lung cancer.The rs3787140 genotype distribution in smoking and non-smoking populations was not statistically significant.The rs3787140 gene polymorphism did not increase the risk of lung cancer. Conclusions There is no interaction between smoking and CHRNA4 rs3787140 polymorphisms on lung cancer. Key words: Smoking; Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha 4 subunit; Lung cancer; Gene polymorphism