Background: The association between interferon lambda-3 (IFNL3 , also known as interleukin 28B, IL28B ) rs12979860 polymorphism and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been investigated in recent studies with inconclusive and inconsistent results. IFNL3  rs12979860 polymorphism has been shown a marked differential distribution with regional and ethnic variation. Whether this single nucleotide polymorphism influences susceptibility to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC remains elusive.
Methods: In this case–control study, a total of 157 Chinese Han patients with chronic HCV infection were enrolled, including 62 HCV-related HCC patients and 95 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients without HCC, and the genetic polymorphism of IFNL3  rs12979860 was genotyped via a DNA microarray-based assay. The logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the correlation between the genetic polymorphism and risk of HCV-related HCC.
Results: A higher proportion of CT/TT genotype and T allele was observed in HCC patients compared to the CHC group. Under the genetic model of allele frequency, the T allele was associated with elevated risk of HCV-related HCC in the Chinese population compared to C allele after an adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, HCV infection duration, and HCV genotypes (P =0.046). In the subgroup analysis stratified by HCV genotype, subjects with CHC genotype 1b infection carrying rs12979860 T allele and CT+TT genotype had higher susceptibility to HCC than those with C allele and CC genotype (P =0.020, P =0.037, respectively).
Conclusion: IFNL3  rs12979860 polymorphism with T allele could be a factor that increases the risk of HCV-related HCC in the Chinese population, especially those subjects with CHC genotype 1b infection.
Keywords: IFNL3 , rs12979860, polymorphism, HCV, HCC