The Interleukin-18 Promoter -607C>A Polymorphism Contributes to Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Risk: Evidence from a Meta-analysis Including 1,886 Subjects

The interleukin-18 promoter -607C>A gene polymorphism may be related to nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) risk but the results of individual studies remain conflicting. A meta-analysis including 1,886 subjectsfrom five individual studies was therefore performed to provide a more accurate estimation. Pooled odds ratios(ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were evaluated by fixed- or random-effectsmodels. A significant relationship between interleukin-18 promoter -607C>A gene polymorphism and NPC wasfound in a dominant genetic model (OR: 1.351, 95% CI: 1.089-1.676, P=0.006, Pheterogeneity=0.904), a homozygotemodel (OR: 1.338, 95% CI: 1.023-1.751, P=0.034, Pheterogeneity=0.863), and a heterozygote model (OR: 1.357, 95%CI: 1.080-1.704, P=0.009, Pheterogeneity=0.824). No significant association was detected in either an allelic geneticmodel (OR: 1.077, 95% CI: 0.960-1.207, 0.207, Pheterogeneity=0.844) or a recessive genetic model (OR: 1.093, 95% CI:0.878-1.361, P=0.425, Pheterogeneity=0.707). In conclusion, a significant association was found between interleukin-18promoter -607C>A gene polymorphism and NPC risk. Individuals with the C allele of interleukin-18 promoter-607C>A gene polymorphism have a higher risk of NPC development.