Although deletion of the LCE3C_LCE3B gene cluster is associated with increased psoriatic risk in European populations, the correlation remains unclear in northern Chinese populations. A study of 970 northern Chinese patients with psoriasis and 1,064 unrelated healthy controls was conducted to assess the frequency of this gene deletion in the two groups. There was a significantly increased frequency of the gene deletion in patients (63.66%) versus controls (59.35%; P = 0.0048). Thus LCE3C_LCE3B gene deletion is an important risk factor in psoriatic pathophysiology (Xu, L. et al. Br J Dermatol 2011, 165: 882).