Some genome-wide association studies (GWAS) may explain this phenomenon: these studies support a hereditary link between disease susceptibility CLL and some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 10q23.31 [ACTA2 or FAS (ACTA2/FAS), 18q21.33 (BCL2), 11p15.5 (C11orf21), 4q25 (LEF1), 2q33.1 (CASP10 or CASP8), 9p21.3 (CDKN2B-AS1), 18q21.32 (PMAIP1), 15q15.1 (BMF), 2p22.2 (QPCT), 2q13 (ACOXL), 8q22.3 (ODF1) and 5p15.33 (TERT)], several of which are proximal to genes involved in apoptosis (35). The gene discussed is PMAIP1; the disease is B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.