Current evidences on IL1B polymorphisms and lung cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis

Interleukin 1, beta (IL1B) plays a key role in mediating acute and chronic inflammation, which is further correlated with lung carcinogenesis. Several polymorphisms on IL1B gene have been identified, and a series of epidemiological studies have examined the association between IL1B polymorphisms and lung cancer risk. However, these findings are inconclusive. To derive a precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. We summarized 12 eligible publications on three commonly studied IL1B polymorphisms (i.e., −31 T/C, −511 T/C, and +3954 C/T) by searching electronic databases. Combined odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated to assess the strength of association between them. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed. We observed a significant association between IL1B polymorphisms and lung cancer. For −31T/C, the overall OR (95 % CI) of TT/TC versus CC was 1.23 (1.06–1.43). For +3954 C/T, the overall OR (95 % CI) of CC versus TT and CC versus CT/TT were 0.92 (0.86–0.99) and 0.92 (0.86–0.99), respectively. In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that the IL1B −31 T/C and +3954 C/T polymorphisms are associated with lung cancer risk. However, larger number of samples and studies with homogeneous lung cancer patients are needed to confirm these findings.