The MIF −173G/C polymorphism and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a Chinese population

Migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has recently been defined as a novel pro-tumorigenic factor that promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The MIF −173C allele results in increased MIF promoter activity and is associated with a higher serum MIF level. We hypothesized that this polymorphism may contribute to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) susceptibility. We genotyped the MIF −173G/C polymorphism (rs755622) in 346 ALL cases and 516 cancer-free controls in a Chinese population and found that the variant genotype GC and the combined genotypes GC/CC were associated with a significantly higher risk of childhood ALL [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01–1.93 for GC and adjusted OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.01–1.89 for GC/CC]. In addition, we found that the increased risk was more pronounced among high-risk ALL and B-phenotype ALL patients. Our results suggest that the MIF −173G/C polymorphism is involved in the etiology of childhood ALL and is a potential candidate gene for determining cancer susceptibility. Further validations in other populations are warranted.