The association of three promoter polymorphisms in interleukin-10 gene with the risk for colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis

Mounting evidence supports a potent inhibitory role of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in tumor carcinogenesis, angiogenesis and metastasis. This meta-analysis was designed to examine the association of three promoter polymorphisms (−592C > A, −819C > T and −1082G > A) in IL-10 gene with the risk for colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. Qualification assessment and data collection were completed by two authors independently. The random-effects model using the DerSimonian and Laird method was fitted by the STATA software. Twenty-five articles involving 5933 cases and 9724 controls were meta-analyzed. Overall comparisons of the mutant alleles (−592A, −819T and −1082A) of three promoter polymorphisms with alternative wild alleles failed to reveal any statistical significance for both colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (P > 0.05), and the likelihood of heterogeneity was low (I(2) < 50%). For −592C > A polymorphism, a significant risk for colorectal cancer was identified when analysis was restricted to East Asians (odds ratio or OR = 1.41, 95% confidence interval or CI: 1.18–1.68, P < 0.001) and retrospective studies (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.09–1.39, P = 0.001). As weighed by the Egger’s test and the fill-and-trim method, there was a low probability of publication bias for all studied polymorphisms. Our findings collectively suggest that the −592C > A polymorphism in IL-10 gene might be a susceptibility locus for colorectal cancer in East Asians.