A functional variant at 19q13.3, rs967591G>A, is associated with shorter survival of early-stage lung cancer

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 19q13.3 and survival of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to define the causative functional SNP of the association. Experimental Design: A two-stage study design was used to evaluate five SNPs in relation to survival outcomes in 328 patients and then to validate the results in an independent patient population (n = 483). Luciferase assay and real-time PCR were conducted to examine functional relevance of a potentially functional SNP. Results: Of the five SNPs, three SNPs (rs105165CT, rs967591GA, and rs735482AC) were significantly associated with survival outcomes in a stage I study. The rs967591A allele had significantly higher activity of the CD3EAP promoter compared with the rs967591G allele (P=0.002), but the SNP did not have an effect on the activity of PPP1R13L promoter. The rs967591GA was associated with the level of CD3EAP mRNAexpression in lung tissues (P=0.01). The rs967591GA exhibited consistent associations in a stage II study. In combined analysis, the rs967591 AA genotype exhibited a worse overall survival (adjusted HR = 1.69; 95% confidence interval = 1.29-2.20; P = 0.0001). Conclusion: The rs967591GA affects CD3EAP expression and thus influences survival in early-stage NSCLC. The analysis of the rs967591GA polymorphism can help identify patients at high risk of a poor disease outcome. © 2013 American Association for Cancer Research.