The −590C/T polymorphism in the IL-4 gene and the risk of cancer: a meta-analysis

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cancer. The −590C/T polymorphism in the IL-4 gene has been implicated in susceptibility to cancer, but the results have been inconclusive. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between this polymorphism with the risk of cancer by meta-analysis. PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were searched for all publications concerning the association between this polymorphism and cancer risk. Statistical analyses were analyzed by using RevMan 4.2 and STATA10.0 softwares. A total of 8,715 cases and 9,532 controls in 23 case–control studies were included. The results suggested that there was no significant association between IL-4 −590C/T polymorphism and cancer risks (TT + TC vs. CC: OR = 0.97, 95 % CI = 0.90–1.04, P = 0.36). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no significant association was detected in Asians and Caucasians. In the subgroup analysis by cancer types, no significant association was found in gastric cancer and colorectal cancer. The current meta-analysis suggested that the −590C/T polymorphism in the IL-4 gene might not be associated with increased/decreased risk of cancer. The −590C/T polymorphism might be not a risk factor for cancers.