The CC-genotype of the cyclooxygenase-2 gene associates with decreased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a Tunisian population.

Abstract Background The cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) pathway is now recognized to be important in human cancer development and progression. The gene for cox-2 carries a common single nucleotide polymorphism, T8473 C, located within a potential functional region in the 3′-UTR of cox-2 gene was identified. We have investigated the frequencies of cox-2 genotypes in Tunisian population to determine whether that polymorphism was associated with the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Tunisian population. Material and methods One hundred and eighty-nine NPC patients were compared to 237 healthy controls. Results The cox-2 T8473C polymorphism was significantly associated with NPC ( P  = 0.031). The CC-genotype and C allele were more frequent in control compared to patients group [CC: OR = 0.37; P  = 0.013; 95% CI: 0.17–0.81; C: OR = 0.72; P  = 0.032; 95% CI: 0.53–0.97]. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the CC-genotype was associated with a significantly decreased risk of NPC ( P  = 0.013). Tumor sizes, histologic grade, presence of primary lymph node metastases, age or sex were not associated with cox-2 genotypes. Conclusion We conclude that the CC-genotype and C allele of cox-2 T8473C gene polymorphism are associated with decreased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a Tunisian population.