Cervical cancer (CC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women, primarily caused by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, especially in developing countries. A proinflammatory cytokine, emerging as a major facilitator of carcinogenesis, is termed interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), which characterizes host-environment interactions. Numerous epidemiological studies have revealed that IL-1β gene polymorphisms have been associated with numerous malignancies, but in the context of CC, results of these studies were inconclusive. Thus, our study aimed to explore the relationship between IL-1β polymorphisms (-511C/T and +3953C/T) and CC susceptibility. Genotyping was conducted on 192 CC patients and 200 healthy controls through polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphism. HPV analysis was done through real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the serum concentration of IL-1β was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Women with CT and TT genotypes of IL-1β -511C/T had a threefold increased risk of CC (odds ratio [OR], 3.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.132-6.063; p < 0.001 vs. OR, 3.34; 95% CI, 1.952-5.713; p < 0.001) compared to controls. Women with the T allele of IL-1β -511C/T polymorphism were associated with increased CC susceptibility (OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.51-2.66; p = 0.0001) compared to controls. No significant difference was found between patients and controls in the genotype or allele frequencies of IL-1β +3953C/T polymorphism (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.56-1.55; p = 0.86 vs. OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.72-1.26; p = 0.74). There was no significant association found between IL-1β -511C/T promoter (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 0.46-12.76; p = 0.28 vs. OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.13-21.10; p = 0.7) and +3953C/T (OR, 3.76; 95% CI, 0.44-31.82; p = 0.19 vs. OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.01-3.92; p = 0.25) polymorphisms in tobacco chewers and smokers compared to controls. The level of serum concentration of IL-1β was significantly higher in cases compared to controls. Our results conclude that IL-1β -511C/T polymorphism is associated with CC susceptibility.

Pushpendra D. Pratap conceived the study design, participated in data collection, and carried out the laboratory work. Syed Tasleem Raza, Ghazala Zaidi, and Shipra Kunwar revised the manuscript. Ale Eba and Muneshwar Rajput assisted for technical support. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Article published online:
12 February 2024

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