Correlative analysis between cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 genetic polymorphisms and head and neck cancer susceptibility: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Previous published studies have reported the association of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) genetic polymorphisms with the susceptibility to head and neck cancer, but the results remain controversial. We therefore will conduct a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between CTLA-4 genetic polymorphisms and head and neck cancer susceptibility. METHODS: We will systematically search case-control studies for potential eligible studies from Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PubMed, China Biomedical Database, WanFang database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Additionally, we will also examine other sources to avoid missing potential trials. Two authors will independently collect and perform the study selection, data extraction, and study methodological quality. Statistical analyses were utilized using STATA 12.0 and RevMan 5.3, and the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to estimate the strength of the association of CTLA-4 genetic polymorphisms with the susceptibility to head and neck cancer. RESULTS: This protocol study will assess the relationship between CTLA-4 genetic polymorphisms and head and neck cancer susceptibility. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will provide systematic evidence for future guidance developing and clinical decision making in patients with head and neck cancer. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval will not be required as this study is a systematic review. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/BFJTZ (https://osf.io/bfjtz/)