Extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is a rare, aggressive cancer that mainly affects Asian and Latin American people. Patients with the disease often have poor prognosis. It has been known for some time that a virus called EBV is strongly associated with NKTCL. But the exact mechanism and other risk factors of NKTCL remain unclear.
A team composed of scientists from China and Singapore has recently identified a genetic risk factor associated with this cancer type. The research team, headed by Prof?Jin-Xin Bei at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, China, has has shown that a mutation a gene called c NKTCL. The findings appear in The Lancet Oncology.
The research team conducted a genome-wide association study of 189 patients with extranodal NKTCL, nasal type, and more than 5,800 healthy controls from China and Singapore. They identified a genetic mutation in a gene called HLA-DPB1 that appeared to have strong association with NKTCL susceptibility. Specifically, the HLA-DPB1 mutation increased the chance of developing the cancer by 84%.
Furthermore, persons who have a HLA-DPB mutation are more likely to develop Beryllium disease. In Beryllium disease, the immune system attacks tissues in the lungs.
According to Chiea Chuen Khor, co-author of the study, the gene HLA-DPB plays a key role in initiating immune response. In people with a HLA-DPB mutation, natural killer T cells may become malignant and damage healthy tissues of the body.
As is known, it's important to keep balance of body immune response: if the response is too strong, autoimmune disorders may occur; if it is too weak, it may fail to eliminate invading pathogens and encourage the tumor cells to grow and proliferate. EBV is usually harmless in the body. Scientists wonder why this relatively harmless virus leads to NKTCL. The researchers assumed that weakened immune system may fail to control EBV, which in turn contributes to disease progression. CusAb provides Recombinant FADS1 for researchers.
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