The causal relationship between white blood cell counts and hepatocellular carcinoma: a Mendelian randomization study

European Journal of Medical Research

Research

Guo-Qiang Pan¹  Chun-Cheng Yang¹  Zhao-Ru Dong¹  Tao Li²  Xiao-ling Shang³ 

[1] Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China;Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China;Department of Medical Oncology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China;

关键词: HCC;    White blood cells;    Mendelian randomization study;    Causal relationship;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40001-022-00900-y

 received in 2022-09-01, accepted in 2022-11-14,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMost of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arises on the background of chronic inflammation. The presence of infiltrating inflammatory cells is associated with tumour initiation, progression and clinical response to treatment. The influence of white blood cell (WBC) subtype counts on HCC progression remains unclear.MethodsIn this study, we performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) study with the validation of two datasets. The summary data for WBC counts were extracted from a recent large GWAS of individuals of European ancestry. The GWAS data related to HCC were obtained from the UK Biobank (UKB). Univariable and multivariable MR analyses were used to identify risk factors genetically associated with HCC risks.ResultsIn the discovery dataset, multivariable MR analysis revealed that sum basophil neutrophil counts had an independent causal effect on the occurrence of HCC, with the sum basophil neutrophil counts as follows: (OR = 0.437, P = 0.003, CI 0.252–0.757). Similarly, in the validation dataset, total basophil neutrophil counts were also been identified as an independent risk factor for HCC. The sum basophil neutrophil counts were as follows: (OR = 0.574, P = 0.021, CI 0.358–0.920).ConclusionIn the European population, genetically predicted lower total basophil neutrophil counts might be an independent risk factor for HCC.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

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