Association Between PHOX2B Gene Rs28647582 T>C Polymorphism and Wilms Tumor Susceptibility

Wilms tumor is one of the most common pediatric solid tumors. The pair-like homeobox 2b (PHOX2B) gene is an important transcription factor that regulates cellular proliferation and differentiation in early life. The association between PHOX2B single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and Wilms tumor risk has not been investigated. Therefore, we conducted a case-control study involving 145 Wilms tumor patients and 531 controls to explore the association between the PHOX2B rs28647582 T>C polymorphism and Wilms tumor susceptibility. The association between the PHOX2B rs28647582 T>C polymorphism and Wilms tumor susceptibility was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Our results indicated that PHOX2B rs28647582 T>C polymorphism did not significantly alter Wilms tumor susceptibility. However, in the stratified analysis, we found that TC/CC genotypes significantly increased Wilms tumor risk among children older than 18 months (adjusted OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.07-2.95, P=0.027) and those with clinical stages III+IV (adjusted OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.09-2.82, P=0.022), when compared with those with TT genotype. Our study suggested that PHOX2B rs28647582 T>C was weakly associated with Wilms tumor susceptibility. Our conclusions need further validation with a larger sample size.