Gastric cancer is the second cause of death from
cancer worldwide and its prevalence and mortality rates are still very high in developed countries.
Interleukin-10 (
IL10) is a pleiotropic
cytokine produced by macrophages which can suppress and stimulate the immune response in
tumorigenesis signaling. However, the contribution of
IL10 genomic variants to
gastric cancer is still largely unknown. In the present study, we aimed at investigating the role of
IL10 genotypes in
gastric cancer risk. The promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms on
IL10, A-1082G (rs1800896), T-819C (rs3021097) and A-592C (rs1800872), were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method among 716 Taiwanese people (358 patients
gastric cancer and 358
cancer-free controls). The results showed that there was a significant difference between the patient and control groups in the genotypic frequency distribution of
IL10 A-1082G genotypes (p=0.0004). In addition, those carrying the G allele were found to have a higher risk for
gastric cancer compared with those with the A allele (p=3.19×10(-5)). Furthermore, personal cigarrete smoking habits enhanced the
gastric cancer risk for those
IL10 A-1082G AG and GG carriers. In conclusion, AG and GG genotype at
IL10 A-1082G, together with smoking, synergistically contribute to individual susceptibility for
gastric cancer in Taiwan.