Association of Common Polymorphisms in the Interleukin-1 Beta Gene with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Caucasian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) promotes liver disease progression and hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the promotor region of the IL-1β gene can affect the progression towards liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aims: We aimed to investigate the association of three common IL-1β SNPs with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC in Caucasian patients. Method: A Caucasian cohort of 99 patients with HBe antigen (Ag)-positive CHB, 255 patients with HBeAg-negative CHB and 278 inactive carriers (IC) were enrolled. 105 patients were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, and 64 with HCC and cirrhosis. Genotyping of the IL-1β rs1143623, rs1143627 and rs16944 was performed. Results: The rs1143627 TT and rs16944 CC genotypes were more frequent in patients with HCC compared to patients without liver tumours (48% vs. 33%, p = 0.018 and 47% vs. 31%, p = 0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the rs16944 CC genotype was independently associated with HCC (OR = 6.44 [95% CI 1.50–27.59] p = 0.012). The haplotype, including rs1143623 TT and rs16944 CC, was a risk factor for HCC development (OR = 1.55 [95% CI 1.04–2.32] p = 0.031). Conclusions: We identified an association of common IL-1β SNPs with HBV-related HCC in a Caucasian population. The effect was independent of the phases of chronic HBV infection, which are currently regarded as important HCC risk factors.