Evaluation of the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the IL6 (rs1800797) and IL6R (rs2228145) genes on the course of cervical intraepithelial squamous cell lesions

According to contemporary research, cervical carcinogenesis is a multifactorial process in which, alongside high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) types, genetic determinants play a significant role. The oncogenic potential of HR-HPV is modulated by patient-specific genetic characteristics that influence key stages of carcinogenesis. Findings from several molecular genetic studies indicate that an individual genetic profile may either facilitate or hinder the long-term persistence of HR-HPV and the progression of precancerous cervical disease.

The aim is to investigate the impact of polymorphic variants of the IL6 (rs1800797) and IL6R (rs2228145) genes on the course of cervical intraepithelial squamous lesions.

The study was conducted at the clinical base of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with the course of advanced training and retraining of the Belarusian State Medical University, at the First City Clinical Hospital, Minsk. A total of 152 women of early reproductive age (18–35 years), with histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial squamous lesions associated with HR-HPV, were included. Two groups were formed: Group 1 comprised 89 women (58.55 %) with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL; ICD-10 code N87.0), and Group 2 included 63 women (41.45 %) with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL; ICD-10 codes N87.1, N87.2).

Our findings suggest that the single nucleotide polymorphism rs1800797 of the IL6 gene may be associated with the risk of developing high-grade cervical intraepithelial squamous lesions. In particular, the heterozygous A/G genotype of rs1800797 was statistically more frequent among patients with LSIL compared with those with HSIL (p = 0.031; OR = 0.47; 95 % CI = 0.23–0.94), which likely reflects the anticarcinogenic effect of this genotype.

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