Association between survivin gene-31G/C and 9194A/G polymorphisms and lung cancer susceptibility: meta-analysis of six studies

Survivin expression may be associated with elevated cancer risk. Polymorphisms in survivin appear to be associated with lung cancer susceptibility, although the results remain inconclusive. Thus, a literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, and summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% Cls) were calculated to clarify the relationship between survivin gene polymorphisms and lung cancer risk. A total of six eligible articles involving 1,221 lung cancer cases and 1,173 controls were included in this meta-analysis. The results revealed a significant association between the survivin gene -31G/C polymorphism and lung cancer risk (CC vs. CG: OR= 1.52, 95% CI 1.24-1.86, P<0.0001; recessive model: OR= 1.53, 95% CI 1.11-2.11, P=0.009) and between the survivin gene 9194A/G polymorphism and lung cancer risk (GG vs. AA: OR= 1.79, 95% CI=1.15-2.79, P=0.009; GG vs. GA: OR= 1.79, 95% CI= 1.13-2.82, P=0.01; recessive model: OR= 1.79, 95% CI= 1.16-2.76, P=0.008). No publication bias was observed in the present study. Our results suggest that survivin gene -31G/C and 9194A/G polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Nevertheless, caution should be taken when interpreting the results of our meta-analysis given the limited number of samples. Thus, further well-designed studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the current findings.