Interferon gamma +874 T/A polymorphism contributes to cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis based on 17 case–control studies

Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) plays a pivotal role in antiproliferative, antitumor and antiviral activities. The +874 polymorphism in IFN gene region reportedly affects cancer risk. However, pertinent studies offer conflicting results. To derive a more precise estimation, we performed a meta-analysis based on 1,929 cases and 2,830 controls from 17 published case–control studies, assessing the strength of the association using odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Our meta-analysis showed the evidence that IFN-γ +874 T/A was not associated with increased cancer risk in ethnicity and source of controls. However, stratified analysis by cancer type indicated a significantly increased risk of cervical cancer (AT vs. TT: OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.02–1.19, P = 0.961 for heterogeneity). Further prospective researches with a larger single study are required to evaluate any association with other types of cancer or in other populations.