Nutritional and genetic determinants of the one-carbon metabolism pathway have been related to risk of malignant lymphomas, but little is known about their associations with Hodgkin lymphoma risk specifically. The authors examined nutrient intake (folate, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, methionine) and multivitamin use among 497 Hodgkin lymphoma patients and 638 population-based controls (Massachusetts and Connecticut, 1997–2000), and genetic variation (MTHFR 677C>T, MTHFR 1298A>C, MTR 2756A>G, SHMT1 1420C>T, TYMS 1494del6) and gene-diet interactions in a subset. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate multivariable odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Hodgkin lymphoma risk was not associated with total nutrient intake or intake from food alone (excluding supplements). Multivitamin use (odds ratio (OR) = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.96), total vitamin B6 (ORquartile 4 vs. 1 = 1.62) (Ptrend = 0.03), and total vitamin B12 (ORquartile 4 vs. 1 = 1.75) (Ptrend = 0.02) intakes were positively associated with risk of Epstein-Barr virus-negative, but not -positive, disease. The 5 genetic variants were not significantly associated with Hodgkin lymphoma risk; no significant gene-diet interactions were observed after Bonferroni correction. Study findings do not support a strong role for nutrients and genetic variation in the one-carbon metabolism pathway in susceptibility to Hodgkin lymphoma. Associations between diet and risk of Epstein-Barr virus-negative disease require confirmation in other populations.

We found that regular use of aspirin may reduce the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), a common cancer of adolescents and young adults in the US. To explore possible biological mechanisms underlying this association, we investigated whether polymorphic variation in genes involved in nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation and inhibition, other inflammatory pathways, and aspirin metabolism influences HL risk. Twenty single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven genes were genotyped in DNA from 473 classical HL cases and 373 controls enrolled between 1997 and 2000 in a population-based case-control study in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area and the state of Connecticut. We selected target genes and SNPs primarily using a candidate-SNP approach and estimated haplotypes using the expectation-maximization algorithm. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for associations with HL risk. HL risk was significantly associated with rs1585215 in NFKB1 (AG vs. AA: OR=2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.5–2.9; GG vs. AA: OR=3.5, 95% CI=2.2–5.7, Ptrend=1.7×10−8) and with NFKB1 haplotypes (Pglobal=6.0×10−21). Similar associations were apparent across categories of age, sex, tumor Epstein-Barr virus status, tumor histology, and regular aspirin use, although statistical power was limited for stratified analyses. Nominally significant associations with HL risk were detected for SNPs in NFKBIA and CYP2C9. HL risk was not associated with SNPs in IKKA/CHUK, PTGS2/COX2, UDP1A6, or LTC4S. In conclusion, genetic variation in the NF-κB pathway appears to influence risk of HL. Pooled studies are needed to detect any heterogeneity in the association with NF-κB across HL subgroups, including aspirin users and non-users.

The natural history of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) has been shown to differ markedly by geographic area. The differences include contrasting patterns of risk of adult T-cell lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), which may be due in part to differences in host immune response to infection. To characterize variations in host immunity across populations, we compared serologic immune marker patterns in HTLV-I-endemic populations in Japan and Jamaica. We matched 204 participants with archived blood from the Miyazaki Cohort Study (Japan) and the Food Handlers Study (Jamaica)-i.e., 51 HTLV-I-positive (“carriers”) and 51 HTLV-I-negative individuals (“non-carriers”) from each population-by age, sex, and blood collection year. We compared plasma concentrations of markers of T-cell-mediated (antigen-specific) and non-specific immunity using regression models and correlation coefficients. Compared to Jamaican HTLV-I non-carriers, Japanese non-carriers had higher covariate-adjusted mean levels of T-cell activation markers, including antibody to Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (reciprocal titer 27 v. 71, respectively, p=0.005), soluble interleukin-2 receptor-α (477 v. 623 pg/mL, p=0.0008) and soluble CD30 (34 v. 46 U/mL, p=0.0001), and lower levels of C-reactive protein (1.1 v. 0.43 μg/mL, p=0.0004). HTLV-I infection was associated with activated T-cell immunity in Jamaicans but with diminished T-cell immunity in Japanese persons. The observed population differences in background and HTLV-I-related host immunity correspond closely to the divergent natural histories of infection observed among HTLV-I carriers in Japan and Jamaica and corroborate a role for host immune status in the contrasting patterns of ATL and HAM/TSP risk.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and interleukin (IL)-6 promote the proliferation and survival of multiple myeloma cells. Variation in genes related to IGF-1 and IL-6 signaling may influence susceptibility to multiple myeloma. To assess their etiologic role, we examined the association of 70 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in seven IGF-1 and three IL-6 pathway genes with multiple myeloma risk in two prospective cohorts, the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Among participants who provided DNA specimens, we identified 58 women and 24 men with multiple myeloma and matched two controls per case. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess the association of the SNPs or tagged haplotypes with multiple myeloma risk. Several SNPs had suggestive associations with multiple myeloma based on large odds ratios (OR), although corresponding omnibus p-values were not more than nominally significant (i.e., at p<0.05). These SNPs included rs1801278 in the gene encoding insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1; C/T v. C/C genotypes; OR=4.3, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.5-12.1), and three IL-6 receptor SNPs: rs6684439 (T/T v. C/C: 2.9, 1.2-7.0), rs7529229 (C/C v. T/T; 2.5, 1.1-6.0), and rs8192284 (C/C v. A/A; 2.5, 1.1-6.0). Additional SNPs in genes encoding IGF-1, IGF binding protein-2, IRS2, and gp130 also demonstrated suggestive associations with multiple myeloma risk. We conducted a large number of statistical tests, and the findings may be due to chance. Nonetheless, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that IGF-1- and IL-6-related gene variation influences susceptibility to multiple myeloma and warrant confirmation in larger populations.