Immune Surveillance, Cytokines and Breast Cancer Risk: Genetic and Psychological Influences in African American Women

摘要

Breast cancer cells are known to bear determinants that would allow tumor specific immune responses. However, initiation and amplification of such immune responses are critically dependent upon the balance in TH1 and TH2 cytokine profiles, as well as differences in proinflammatory responses. This molecular epidemiological study evaluates the impact that variability in cytokine profiles, (inferred from functional polymorphisms in cytokine genes), may have on breast cancer risk among urban African-American women. DNA collected and approved for additional study as part of a previously funded Case- Control investigation will be assessed for cytokine polymorphisms. Because cytokine profiles are also known to be affected by environmental factors, particularly levels of stress, this study also proposed to evaluate the relative contribution of genotype and stress influences using data collected for that purpose from a sub-sample of the 'graduates' of the larger study. Results will allow evaluation of the possibility that deficits in cytokine responses associated with immune surveillance (e.g., TH1 vs TH2 balance) and proinflammatory processes (e.g., IL-6) may contribute to breast cancer risk. Based on these findings, women at risk for breast cancer because of polymorphisms in genes important to breast cancer risk could be targeted for innovative prevention strategies potentially including stress reduction and immune modulators.