Relatedly, sequence variants within the IL-1RN gene have been associated with various malignancies and infectious diseases (Clay et al, 1994; Blakemore et al, 1996; El-Omar et al, 2000; Machado et al, 2001), but the role of IL-1RN polymorphisms in prostate cancer pathogenesis has not been examined. The gene discussed is IL1RN; the disease is prostate cancer.