Association between interleukin-4 gene intron 3 VNTR polymorphism and cancer risk.
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Interleukin-4(IL-4) is a critical inflammatory cytokine and has been involved in pathogenesis of cancer. To date, several studies have investigated the association between IL-4 intron 3 variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism and cancer risk in humans; however, the results remain controversial. We performed this meta-analysis to find a more conclusive association between this polymorphism and cancer risk. METHODS:Eight eligible case-control studies were identified through searching electronic databases, including 1583 cases and 1638 controls. Odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate the strength of the association. RESULTS:The results of overall analyses indicated that the variant RP2 allele was associated with a decreased cancer risk compared with the RP1 allele (RP2/RP2 vs. RP1/RP1, OR?=?0.64, 95% CI?=?0.44-0.94; RP2/RP2 vs. RP1/RP1?+?RP1/RP2, OR?=?0.75, 95% CI?=?0.60-0.92; RP2 vs. RP1, OR?=?0.72, 95% CI?=?0.56-0.92). In subgroup analyses stratified by ethnicity, there was evidence in the Asian population for an association between this polymorphism and cancer risk (RP2/RP2 vs. RP1/RP1?+?RP1/RP2, OR?=?0.79, 95% CI?=?0.63-0.99; RP2 vs. RP1, OR?=?0.77, 95% CI?=?0.61-0.97). CONCLUSIONS:IL-4 intron 3 VNTR polymorphism could influence the risk of human cancer. Due to the limitations of this meta-analysis, further well-designed and functional researches should be performed to validate our results.
SUBMITTER: Duan Y
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4258052 | biostudies-literature | 2014
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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