The roles of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 gene polymorphisms in gastric cancer: A meta-analysis

Background: Recently, the roles of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8 and IL-10 gene polymorphisms in gastric cancer have been extensively studied, with conflicting results. Therefore, we conducted the present study to better assess the potential correlations between these interleukin gene polymorphisms and gastric cancer. Methods: Eligible articles were searched in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science and CNKI. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cls) were used to detect any potential associations between interleukin gene polymorphisms and the risk of gastric cancer. Results: A total of 73 case-control studies were finally included. Significant associations with the risk of gastric cancer were only detected for the IL-8 rs4073 polymorphism in overall analyses. Further subgroup analyses according to ethnicity of participants revealed that the IL-6 rs1800796, IL-8 rs4073, IL-10 rs1800871, IL-10 rs1800872 and IL-10 rs1800896 polymorphisms were all significantly associated with the risk of gastric cancer in Asians. No positive results were found for any investigated interleukin gene polymorphisms in Caucasians. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that IL-6 rs1800796, IL-8 rs4073, IL-10 rs1800871, IL-10 rs1800872 and IL-10 rs1800896 polymorphisms may serve as genetic biomarkers of gastric cancer in Asians.