BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common types of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Epidemiological studies showed that BC is linked to genetic and environmental factors, and inheritance plays a key role in the pathobiology of this disease. Interleukin 4 (IL-4) is a key differentiation cytokine and is produced by Th2 and activates Th2 development. Hence the current study aimed to assess the possible association between interleukin 4 (IL-4) VNTR polymorphism, and BC susceptibility in a sample of Iranian population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: IL-4 VNTR polymorphism was evaluated in 150 women with BC and 150 agematched healthy women by polymerase chain reaction method. RESULT: Among 3 possible alleles for IL-4 gene, we only observed 2 alleles. Current fi ndings indicate that RP2/RP2 genotypes can be regarded as potent protective factors against breast cancer (OR = 0.929 [95%CI, 0.929-0.995]). CONCLUSION: Our result showed that the RP2/RP2 genotype of the IL-4 VNTR polymorphism could be a protective factor for BC susceptibility (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 46).

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