Polymorphisms in the interleukin-10 gene and hepatocellular carcinoma: an updated meta-analysis of 12 case-control studies

Polymorphisms occurred in interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene may contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility. Since 2003, a number of epidemiological studies have explored the relationship between three common polymorphisms [ rs1800896 A>G (-1082 A>G), rs1800872 A>C (-592 A>C) and rs3021097 C>T (-819 C>T)] located on IL-10 gene and HCC risk; however, the results remain inconclusive. We carried out a meta-analysis of twelve case-control studies with 2,267 HCC cases and 3,994 controls to identify the correlation. Crude odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were harnessed to measure the strength of relationship. The findings indicated that IL-10-592 A>C polymorphism was associated with the risk of HCC in dominant genetic comparison model (CC+AC versus AA, fixed-effects OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.04-1.35, P = 0.011). Begg's funnel plot and Egger's linear regression test were harnessed to assess the potential publication bias in our study. No obvious publication bias was found among the included studies. Results of one-way sensitivity analysis highlighted that our findings were robust. These results indicate that IL-10-592 A>C polymorphism conferred an increased risk for the development of HCC.