Role of IL-1β rs1143634 (+3954C>T) polymorphism in cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress caused by the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β has been widely investigated for cancer risk. In this study, we focused on the role of IL-1β rs1143634 polymorphism to reveal its impact on cancer development. METHODS: Related studies with fixed inclusion criteria were selected from electronic databases to May 2021. This meta-analysis was performed with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity, publication bias and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) and in-silico gene expression analysis were performed. RESULTS: Forty-four case–control studies involving 18,645 patients with cancer and 22,882 controls were included. We observed a significant association of this single nucleotide polymorphism with overall cancer risk in the codominant model 3 (1.13-fold), recessive model (1.14-fold) and allelic model (1.08-fold). Subgroup analysis revealed that rs1143634 elevated the risk of gastric cancer, breast cancer and multiple myeloma. In addition, Asian and mixed populations and hospital-based controls had a significantly higher risk of cancer development. TSA confirmed our findings. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis revealed that the presence of IL-1β rs1143634 polymorphism increases the risk of cancer development. Among polymorphism carriers, the Asian population has a higher risk than other ethnic populations. This meta-analysis was registered retrospectively at INPLASY (https://inplasy.com/, INPLASY2021100044).