Possible correlation between polymorphism in the tumor necrosis factor-beta gene and the clinicopathological features of bladder cancer in Japanese patients.

Objectives: In a variety of cancers, several polymorphisms of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) genes have been reported to result in different clinical outcomes. We investigated whether a polymorphism of the TNF gene is associated with a susceptibility to bladder cancer and its disease status. Methods: Polymorphisms in the TNF-α gene promoter (−308 bp) and the NcoI site in the first intron of the TNF-β gene were analyzed in 141 Japanese patients with bladder cancer and 173 Japanese controls by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The correlations between the polymorphisms of the TNF genes and the clinicopathological features were analyzed. Results: The number of cases and controls with TNF-α2 was too small to be assessable. In contrast, the TNF-β1/2 genotype at the NcoI site in the first intron conferred a 1.71-fold increased risk of bladder cancer compared to the TNF-β2/2 genotype. In the bladder cancer group, patients with the TNF-β1 allele had a significantly higher risk for a high-grade tumor (grade 3) or carcinoma in situ (CIS) than those without the TNF-β1 allele. Moreover, in the superficial bladder cancers, patients with the TNF-β1 allele showed a significantly higher intravesical recurrence rate than those without the TNF-β1 allele. Conclusion: This polymorphism in the TNF-β gene appears to be associated with tumor occurrence and disease status, such as the tumor grade and the presence of CIS. Further study with an increased sample size is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]