Immunomodulatory gene polymorphisms in non-small cell lung carcinoma susceptibility and survival

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) constitutes 85 % of all lung cancer cases. This malignancy is characterized by multifactorial risk factors, poor prognosis, and deplorable clinical outcome. Considerable evidence indicates that there is inter-individual variability in the lung cancer predisposition and survival due to genetic variations introduced by genetic polymorphisms between individuals, indirectly affecting the lung cancer susceptibility and the patient survival. In the past decades, immune landscape in the tumour environment and host immune response are constantly implicated as determining factor in NSCLC development and patients’ survival. With the change of paradigm in NSCLC treatment to immunotherapy and increasing recognition of the role of the immune system in cancer development and survival, the inspection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in immunomodulated markers associated with the risk and prognosis for NSCLC is crucial. Despite extensive studies reported the implication of SNPs in predicting the risk and survival of NSCLC. SNPs in the genes that modulate immune response in NSCLC have not been reviewed before. Hence, this review uncovers the evidence on the genetic polymorphisms of immunomodulatory markers which include immune checkpoints, immune checkpoint inhibitors, chemokines, interleukins, human leukocyte antigen and its receptors, and antigen presenting machinery genes, and their significance in the susceptibility, prognosis and survival in NSCLC. The identification of genetic factors associated with NSCLC risk and survival provides invaluable information for a greater comprehension of the pathogenesis and progression of the disease, also to refine prognosis and personalize clinical care in early and advanced-stages disease.