Unraveling POLN germline mutations in familial nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Complementary evidence from gene association and molecular studies.

Abstract

Familial clusters of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are commonly reported in populations of both low and high incidences,1 whereby a first-degree family history of NPC is associated with a marked increase in risk of NPC.2 The high incidence of NPC among certain ethnic groups, including the Southern Han Chinese populations especially among the Cantonese, followed by the Inuits and Berbers, is widely known.3 Multiple genetic variants, rather than a single dominant susceptibility gene, coupled with shared environmental causes including Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection, were suggested to be the likely underlying causes associated with the observed mode of inheritance for NPC.