Is Leukocyte Telomere Length Related with Lung Cancer Risk?: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have probed the correlation between telomere length and the risk of lung cancer, but their findings are inconsistent in this regard. The present meta-analysis study has been carried out to demonstrate the association between relative telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and the risk of lung cancer using an established Q-PCR technique. METHODS: A systematic search was carried out using PubMed, EMBASE, and ISI before 2015. A total of 2925 cases of lung cancer and 2931 controls from 9 studies were employed to probe the relationship between lung cancer and telomere length. ORs were used at 95% CI. Random-effects models were used to investigate this relationship based on the heterogeneity test. Heterogeneity among studies was analyzed employing subgroup analysis based on type studies and the year of publication. RESULTS: Random-effects meta-analysis revealed that patients with lung cancer were expected to have shorter telomere length than the control (1.13, 95% CI: 0.82-1.81, P=0.46). The summary of the pooled ORs of telomere length in adenocarcinoma lung cancer patients was 1 (95%CI=0.68-1.47, I(2)=93%) compared to patients with squamous cell lung cancer, which was 1.78 (95% CI=1.25-2.53, I(2)=3.9%). The meta-regression revealed that the effect of telomere length shortening, decreased and increased with the year of publication and the age of risks to lung cancer, was clearly related to short telomeres lengths. CONCLUSION: Lung cancer risks clearly related with short telomeres lengths. In patients with breathing problems, lung cancer risk can be predicted by telomere length adjustment with age, sex, and smoking.