Glutathione S-transferase T1 null genotype is associated with oral cancer susceptibility in Asian populations

Though there are many studies assessing the association between glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) null genotype and oral cancer risk, the association between GSTT1 null genotype and oral cancer in Asian populations is still inconclusive. We performed a meta-analysis of 19 studies including 2,845 cases and 4,295 controls to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with its corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) was used to assess the relationship. Meta-analysis of those 19 studies suggested that there was an association between GSTT1 null genotype and elevated risk of oral cancer risk (OR  =  1.25, 95 % CI  =  1.00–1.56, P  =  0.047). Sensitivity analysis by omitting one study at a time showed that the significance of the corresponding pooled ORs was materially altered frequently, indicating that the pooled ORs were not statistically stable. In addition, there was no obvious risk of publication bias in the meta-analysis. Therefore, the present meta-analysis suggests that the GSTT1 null genotype is a risk allele for oral cancer development in Asian populations, but more studies with large sample and well-matched controls are needed to further confirm the finding from the meta-analysis.