Regulator of telomere elongation helicase 1 (RTEL1) rs6010620 polymorphism contribute to increased risk of glioma

Regulator of telomere elongation helicase 1 (RTEL1) is critical for genome stability and tumor avoidance. Many studies have reported the associations of RTEL1 rs6010620 with glioma risk, but individually published results were inconclusive. This meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively summarize the evidence for such a relationship. The PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. The odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) were computed to estimate the strength of the association using a fixed or random effects model. Ten studies were eligible for meta-analysis including data on glioma with 6,490 cases and 9,288 controls. Overall, there was a significant association between RTEL1 rs6010620 polymorphism and glioma risk in all four genetic models (GG vs. AA: OR = 1.87, 95 % CI = 1.60–2.18, P _{heterogeneity}  = 0.552; GA vs. AA: OR = 1.30, 95 % CI = 1.16–1.46, P _{heterogeneity}  = 0.495; dominant model—GG + GA vs. AA: OR = 1.46, 95 % CI = 1.31–1.63, P _{heterogeneity}  = 0.528; recessive model—GG vs. GA + AA: OR = 1.36, 95 % CI = 1.27–1.46, P _{heterogeneity}  = 0.093). Subgroup analyses by ethnicity showed that RTEL1 rs6010620 polymorphism resulted in a higher risk of glioma among both Asians and Caucasians. In the stratified analysis by ethnicity and source of controls, significantly increased risk was observed for Asians and Europeans in all genetic models, population-based studies in all genetic models, and hospital-based studies in three genetic models (heterozygote comparison, homozygote comparison, and dominant model). Our meta-analysis suggested that RTEL1 rs6010620 polymorphism is likely to be associated with increased glioma risk, which lends further biological plausibility to these findings.