A polymorphism in FAS gene promoter associated with increased risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and correlated with anti-nuclear autoantibodies induction.

Loss of FAS (CD95) expression is a common feature of malignant transformation, which has been related to loss of epithelial cell differentiation and loss of sensitivity to apoptosis. We investigated the potential association between FAS promoter polymorphism and the genetic susceptibility to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The in vivo functional significance of the FAS polymorphism was investigated by assessing the correlation between FAS genotypes and the presence of autoantibodies to cytoskeleton and nuclear antigens frequently detected in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.