Association of BTLA Polymorphisms with Susceptibility to Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Chinese Population

Studies have reported that B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) polymorphisms may be associated with the risk to different cancers. However, the correlation between those variations and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still unclear. A total of 1,003 NSCLC patients and 901 noncancer controls were recruited in the study, to confirm the association of variations in BTLA gene with the risk of NSCLC. The SNPscan™ genotyping assay was used to obtain the genotypes of the four BTLA polymorphisms (BTLA rs1982809 G>A, rs16859629 T>C, rs2171513 G>A, and rs3112270 A>G). It was found that BTLA rs1982809 polymorphism reduced the risk of NSCLC (GA vs. GG: adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.81, 95%confidence interval (CI) = 0.66‐0.99, and P = 0.043). However, the BTLA rs16859629, rs2171513, and rs3112270 polymorphisms showed no significant association between NSCLC patients and controls in overall comparison. In subgroup analyses, we found that BTLA rs1982809 polymorphism reduced the risk of NSCLC (nonsquamous cell carcinoma: GA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.64‐0.97, and P = 0.026; AA/GA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.66‐0.99, and P = 0.037; ≥59 years: GA vs. GG: P = 0.036; never alcohol consumption: GA vs. GG: P = 0.013; GA/AA vs. GG: P = 0.016; body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24 kg/m(2): GA vs. GG: P = 0.030; GA/AA vs. GG: P = 0.041). The BTLA rs16859629 polymorphism increased the risk of the development of squamous cell carcinoma (CC vs. TT: adjusted OR = 9.85, 95%CI = 1.37‐71.03, and P = 0.023; CC vs. TT/TC: adjusted OR = 9.55, 95%CI = 1.32‐68.66, and P = 0.025). Taken together, the findings of the present suggest that BTLA rs1982809 and rs16859629 polymorphisms may influence the susceptibility to NSCLC in the Chinese population.