Association of functional IL16 polymorphisms with cancer and cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis

Introduction: Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is a chemotactic cytokine that is found to increase in Cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL16 were associated with diseases. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate possible associations between IL16 rs4778889, rs11556218, rs4072111, and rs1131445 SNPs and the risk for cancer or CVD. Materials and Methods: This study was performed according to the PRISMA statement. Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were systematically reviewed, and a meta-analysis was conducted. Results: The analysis comprised 6386 individuals with cancer and 2415 with CVD. The SNP rs11556218 was significantly associated with an increased risk for cancer in Chinese in different genetic inheritance models. Also, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis to show an association of rs4778889 with an increased risk of gastric cancer and rs11556218 with an increased risk of CVD in Chinese. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggested that the SNPs rs11556218 and rs4778889 of IL16 were associated with an increased risk for cancer in Chinese and rs11556218 with increased risk for CVD in Chinese, highlighting the need for further studies on the impact of these polymorphisms on cancer treatment and surveillance.