Association of polymorphisms in FLT3, EGFR, ALOX5, and NEIL3 with glioblastoma in the Han Chinese population

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the highest-grade glioma in astrocytoma. Patients often have poor prognosis due to therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. Identification of the genetic factors of GBM could be important contribution to early prevention of this disease. We genotyped 17 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) from nine genes in this study, including 72 cases and 302 controls. SNP genotyping was conducted using Sequenom MassARRAY RS1000. Statistical analysis of the association between tSNPs and GBM was performed using the χ ² test and SNPStats software. The rs3829382 in FLT3 was associated with increased odds of developing GBM using the χ ² test. When we analyzed tSNPs under different inheritance models, we found rs9642393 in EGFR increased odds of developing GBM in the dominant model. After stratification by gender, we found that rs12645561 in NEIL3 and rs2291427 in ALOX5 were associated with developing GBM. Polymorphisms within FLT3, EGFR, NEIL3, and ALOX5 may contribute to the occurrence of GBM in the Han Chinese population. However, the functional significance of these polymorphisms needs further investigation.