Abstract
Familial aggregation, linkage, and case-control studies support the role of germline genes in the etiology of lymphoid malignancies. To further examine the role of genetic variation underlying susceptibility, we analyzed 1536 SNPs in 152 genes involved in apoptosis, DNA repair, immune response, and oxidative stress pathways among a unique sample of 165 unrelated familial cases including patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Waldenström's (WM), and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and 107 spouse controls. We confirmed previous studies showing a polymorphism in the
IL10
promoter (rs1800890/-3575T>A) to be associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma since we found this allele to be associated with both CLL and WM. We also confirmed the role of
IL6
variation to be associated with HL. Polymorphisms in the
TRAIL
gene were associated with both CLL and WM. Future replication and functional studies are needed to clarify the role of these genetic variants. Finally, our data further support the close association of WM and CLL.
